796 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



and drying. The stopping should be always carefully removed before the horse leaves the 

 stable for use. 



LampaS. This is very improperly considered a disease by certain ignorant farriers, 

 and the brutal practice of burning down the bars with a hot iron is. frequently resorted to as 

 a remedy. Lampas is a swelling of the bars of the mouth, and is found in all colts to a 



greater or less extent, and occasionally, though rarely, in old 

 horses, since the teeth of the horse continue to grow during his 

 entire life. Sometimes the swelling extends to a level with the 

 edge of the teeth, and even beyond them. This condition may be 

 produced from inflammation of the gums when the colt is shed 

 ding his temporary teeth, or from some feverish tendency in the 

 ^ system. It frequently occurs when a young horse has been taken 

 from grass and fed on grain. Over-feeding, with insufficient ex 

 ercise, will also sometimes cause it. Generally, this difficulty 

 requires no treatment, and, if left to itself, the swelling will soon 

 subside. But when it interferes with the mastication of the food, 

 it will be well to lance the gum or bars of the mouth, the bleeding of which will reduce the 

 inflammation, the lancing to be performed where the most inflammation exists. This may be 

 done with a lance or a common pocket-knife, by making a few slight incisions across. 

 Sometimes the cutting of the tushes and grinders will produce the swelling in the mouth, and 

 when this is the case which can readily be determined by examining the localities the 

 gum should be lanced over the tooth, the same as children s gums are sometimes lanced in 

 teething. Warm mashes should be given at such times. 



Jennings recommends that, after lancing, the mouth be washed with a solution of tinc 

 ture of myrrh, two ounces to a pint of water, or a solution of alum and water, this to be 

 repeated twice a day for three or four days, during which time bran mashes or flax-seed 

 gruel, with a small quantity of new grass, should be given. Also, that no hay, oats, or corn 

 be given for a week, after the expiration of which time the teeth will be in condition to mas 

 ticate such food. 



Treatment of Old or Disabled Horses. A horse that has served his master 

 faithfully many years is justly entitled to kind and considerate treatment in old age. It 

 is too frequently the case that after a horse becomes advanced in years, and his usefulness 

 somewhat impaired, he is sold to some unscrupulous person who will either over- work and 

 otherwise ill-treat the faithful creature, or who will sell him to some one of a numerous class of 

 men who are too poor to own a good horse, but who for a few dollars will purchase an old or 

 otherwise partially-disabled animal, and get all the work he can out of him, at the same time 

 keeping him with the least possible expense. There are already too many of these abused, 

 half -starved creatures to be seen in every city and town, the sight of which, more than 

 almost anything else, strikingly impresses one with a sense of man s inhumanity. 



The selling of the faithful, patient old farm-horse to a sharp-eyed jockey is frequently 

 done in a thoughtless manner by many a kind-hearted farmer, who, if he would stop to 

 reflect a moment upon the suffering this act of his would bring upon the noble animal, would 

 refuse to do it. There is another class of farmers to whom the few dollars that such a sale 

 would bring in return would far outweigh the feeling of gratitude or conscience in the con 

 sideration, and to such we suppose this appeal in behalf of the faithful old horse would be 

 futile; but we hope and believe this class to be in the minority, and the nobler elements to 

 largely predominate. He who will cause by his act, or permit cruelty to be perpetrated 

 upon any of the creatures God has given us, is himself guilty, nearly, if not fully, to the 

 extent of him who perpetrates directly the cruel act, since he either causes or permits what he 



