794 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



searing of the hoof to make the shoe fit better; the uneven growth of the hoof sometimes 

 seen when the shoe is left on too long; the injury to the hoof in removing nails, and from 

 driving them into the sensitive portion of the sole in fastening on a shoe. Sometimes the 

 nail splits in driving, and one thin blade of iron goes into the sensitive portion of the foot, 

 and the other through the wall. Instances of lock-jaw have been known to occur from this 

 very cause. In order to have the foot look round, and give it a finished appearance, some 

 stupid blacksmiths rasp the wall of the hoof, thus weakening it and causing it to become 

 brittle and crack, it not being sufficiently strong, under such treatment, to support the weight 

 of the body, and the concussion produced on hard pavements and rough roads. 



Much injury is done the hoof by the violence and carelessness often connected with 

 removing a shoe, thus breaking and tearing portions of the wall. These and many other evils 

 might be mentioned as the direct result of improper shoeing. Blacksmiths cannot take too 

 much pains in informing themselves respecting the best modes of shoeing, or in the practice 

 of their art when it is thoroughly understood. 



Brittle Hoofs. There is a great difference in animals with respect to the quality of 

 the hoof, some being of a soft, porous nature, others hard, firm, and capable of enduring 

 much wear, and the extremes of heat and cold, drought and moisture, without being appar 

 ently affected by them. The quality of the hoof is transmitted with just as much certainty 

 as that of any other characteristics, some breeds or families of horses invariably having 

 large flat feet and hoofs of an open, porous nature, while others such as the Arabian breed, 

 for instance, have a small, narrow hoof of the firmest, toughest, and most compact quality. 

 This is not only true of breeds, but of individuals; the quality of the hoof of the parent 

 determining largely that of the offspring. Aside from the difference in quality, there are 

 conditions that affect and modify the character of the hoofs of horses, long-continued warm, 

 dry weather having a tendency to cause the hoof to become brittle, while moisture or damp 

 ness has the .opposite tendency. Improper shoeing, as previously stated, will cause the worst 

 form of brittleness of hoof. Imperfect nourishment will also affect the quality of the hoof, 

 as well as the hair, and cause it to become dry and brittle in character. 



The National Live Stock Journal contains the following on this subject: &quot;It is not 

 habitual dryness that injures; it is the alternation of rain and drouth. The evil effects of 

 moisture may be largely warded off by smearing the moistened foot with some impervious, 

 oily agent before exposing it to the drying process. In this way the moisture that has been 

 absorbed by the horn is retained, the sudden drying and shrinking are obviated, and the 

 horn remains elastic and comparatively tough. As it is often needful to soak the foot in 

 warm or cold water, or in poultices in cases of disease, it is all-important that the above- 

 named precaution should be constantly borne in mind, and that the softened foot should be 

 smeared throughout with some hoof-ointment before it is allowed to dry and harden. For 

 this purpose nothing is simpler or better than a mixture in equal parts of wood-tar and 

 whale-oil or lard. This may be smeared on the foot every other day. 



In addition to the changes of weather, the frequent standing in rotting dung-heaps, or in 

 pools of decomposing liquid manure, may be named as causes of brittle hoofs. In the dung- 

 heap there is not only the moisture and steam soaking and softening the hoof, but there is 

 abundance of ammonia-gas, which is especially calculated to soften, dissolve, and destroy the 

 horn. Rotten manure and putrid liquids, therefore, are much more injurious than pure 

 water, muddy pools, or wet clay. Again, the emanations of this kind are far from conducive 

 to general health, so that they prove hurtful in two ways first, by directly destroying the 

 substance of the hoof, and, secondly, by reducing the animal vigor, the power of digestion 

 and assimilation, and the power of secreting good horn. Standing in such decomposing 

 organic matter is still more injurious, however, when the animal is confined to a stall or box, 

 for here the injurious effect of inactivity is added to the above-named conditions. 



