198 HORSES AND ROADS. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



ASPHALTE PAVING, AND DIFFERENT OPINIONS CONCERNING IT 

 DISSATISFACTION THAT REIGNS WITH REGARD TO THE 

 OKDINAKT METHOD OF SHOEING TRANSMISSION BY PARENTS 

 OF DISEASES PRODUCED BY SHOEING FRENCH STATISTICS 

 AS TO DISEASES OF THE FEET AND LEGS OF THE HORSES IN 

 THE ARMY SHOEING, A NATIONAL QUESTION, 



ASPHALTE is a class of road surface that has caused 

 a great deal of controversy. At certain times, and 

 on certain days, such as when fog and mist prevail, 

 it gets greasy (as this state is called). In some 

 other weathers the same state of greasiness is pro- 

 duced during the beginning of rain; but when 

 sufficient rain has fallen to reduce the consistency 

 of this so-called grease, the slipperiness disappears, 

 and then asphalte becomes a better holding surface, 

 for even shod horses, than either the wood or granite 

 which are contiguous to it; supposing them each 

 and all to have received the same amount of rain. 

 In fine summer weather, watering with carts will 

 make wood and granite slippery, when it will not so 

 affect the asphalte. But in any weather the unshod 

 horse can deal with it more successfully than the 

 shod one. The Almighty defies ' the puny intellect 

 of man' to produce a road of any kind that can 



