STOUTNESS OF HOOF AT THE TOE. 79 



(which all would reach, if they tried), they might 

 be led to reflect, and ask themselves whether this 

 was the full extent of improvement they could arrive 

 at. ' Impecuniosus ' stopped short here; but the 

 American farmers pushed the thing still further by 

 doing away with even this small protection on the 

 hind feet. At this point they also made a stand, 

 apparently overawed by their presumption or stupe- 

 fied by their success. They were unaware, or unable 

 fully to appreciate the fact that Nature was smiling 

 benignly upon their efforts in the right direction, 

 even when they were brought face to face with the 

 rewards she was so plainly giving them at each ad- 

 vancing step towards perfection. 



It is astounding that the last scales should not 

 have dropped from the eyes of such investigating 

 and liberally-disposed men, and have thus left dis- 

 closed to their perfect vision the fact that Nature 

 had not left the toe out of account when she designed 

 the wonderfully perfect and beautiful foot of the 

 horse, defective as it is popularly, but erringly, sup- 

 posed to be. The toe is even provided in an extra 

 manner with the means of standing all wear and 

 tear ; for, if the tips be removed and the horse 

 worked barefoot over the roughest kind of roads, as 

 he is in many countries, the toe will outgrow all 

 calls upon it, which is what no other part of the 

 hoof will ever do, although they all resist wear. The 

 toe alone will require to be restricted in its growth ; 

 for it will grow too long, even under hard work on 

 hard roads, and must be kept rasped back occasion- 



