306 AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



of great benefit when shook out for a bed, by inducing the 

 horse to rest himself. lie is thus enabled to do more work, 

 and with a less expenditure of food. 



CORNS. " In the angle between the bars and the quarters, 

 the horn of the sole has sometimes a red appearance, and is 

 more spongy and softer than at any other part* The horse 

 flinches when this portion of the horn is pressed upon, and 

 occasional or permanent lameness is produced. This disease 

 of the foot is termed CORNS : bearing this resemblance to the 

 corn of the human being, that it is produced by pressure, and 

 is a cause of lameness, When corns are neglected, so much 

 inflammation is produced in that part of the sensible sole, 

 that suppuration follows, and to that, quittor succeeds, and 

 the matter either undermines the horny sole, or is discharged 

 at the coronet. 



" The cure of old corns is difficult ; for as all shoeing has 

 some tendency to produce pressure here, the habit of throwing 

 out this diseased horn is difficult to get rid of when once con- 

 tracted ; recent corns, however; will yield to good shoeing. 



"The first thing to be done is well to pare out the angle 

 between the crust and the bars. Two objects are answered 

 by this : the extent of the disease will be ascertained, and one 

 cause of it removed. A very small drawing-knife must be 

 used for this purpose. The corn must be pared out to the 

 very bottom, taking care not to wound the sole. It may then 

 be discovered whether there is any effusion of blood or mat- 

 ter underneath. If this is suspected, an opening must be 

 made through the horn, the matter evacuated, the separated 

 horn taken away, the course and extent of the sinuses explo- 

 red, and introduce into them a saturated solution of sulphate 

 of zinc, by means of a small syringe. Place over this dress- 

 ing the common cataplasm, or the turpentine ointment, and 

 renew the application every twenty-four hours. Three or 

 four such applications complete a cure. Should there be no 

 collection of fluid, the butyr of antimony should be applied 

 >\T the whole extent of the corn, after the horn has been 

 thinned as closely as possible. The object of this is to stim- 

 ulate the sole to throw out more healthy horn. In bad cases . 

 a bar-shoe may be put on, so chambered, that there shall be 

 no pressure on the diseased part. This may be worn for one 

 or two shoeings, but not constantly, for there are few frogs 

 that would bear the constant pressure of the bar-shoe ; and 

 the want of pressure on the heel, generally occasioned by 

 their use, would produce a softened and bulbous state of the 



