SHOEING. 185 



the feet ; but as it is not my present purpose 

 to animadvert upon the diffuse remarks of 

 others, I shall confine myself to practical ob- 

 servations of my own. The salutary effects 

 of plentifully oiling, and nightly stopping, 

 the substantial, firm, black, and white brittle 

 hoofs, described in a former page, are too 

 firmly established by long and attentive ex* 

 perience, to render opposition (from any au- 

 thority whatever) worthy a momentary con- 

 sideration or condescending reply. 



A comparative state of the hoof that is 

 carefully managed in this way, with one ;in 

 its state of nature (more particularly in the 

 hot and dry months of summer) will evi- 

 dently bespeak the advantage and neatness of 

 such care and attention. In one, the hoof 

 is always in a state of pliable uniformity ; 

 in the other, a harsh, constant, and irregular 

 scaling of the sole, an almost inflexible ri- 

 gidity of the hoof in shoeing, and most fre- 

 quently very large and dangerous cracks that 

 separate the sole from the, frog on both sides ; 

 leaving ample room on either for the insinua- 

 tion of sand, gravel, or other injurious ar- 

 ticles that may by their attention reach the 



