APPENDICES. 211 



rest done the same way. 'Free Lance' objects very 

 strongly to applying a hot shoe, and I will just give one 

 or two extracts from a prize essay by George Armitage, 

 M.R.C.V.S. 



' As a result of cold shoeing i.e. fitting the shoes 

 cold, which means rather fitting the foot to the shoe, 

 much inconvenience is engendered. No man can alter 

 cold shoes. If they are applied the foot must be altered, 

 and that is accomplished by tearing it away. When the 

 shoe is heated, it can be caused to " bed " itself to the 

 foot, and no injury is found to result when due care is 

 exercised. Good feet are never injured by it, and bad 

 feet might frequently be benefited by its adoption, as the 

 shoe always remains on more securely. Two surfaces are 

 caused to correspond, friction is set up between them, 

 and their separation not so easy. When, on the con- 

 trary, those surfaces do not bear any relation to each 

 other, they are easily separated, as all inequalities act as 

 so many levers against their position In practice, the 

 number of lost shoes under the cold method of fitting 

 exceeds those executed while hot more than fifty times, 

 and that number can be supported by all who have gone 

 into the matter carefully.' ' If a little calm investigation 

 were made, it would become evident that the objection 

 to the use of hot shoes in fitting is only injurious to 

 weak and tender feet when carried too far the foot 

 fitted to the shoe, in other words.' 



The above extracts appear to me very sensible, and I 

 believe no ill effects ever result from hot shoeing, except 

 when done by ignorant men, who should be anywhere 

 but in a shoeing-forge. 



ABERLORXA. 



