SECTION IV. 



ON THE PREPARATION OF THE FOOT AND THE SHOE. 



T T AVING stated and clearly illustrated in Section II. the use 

 ■'--'■ of the most important parts entering into the formation of 

 the foot, and also in Section III, the various forms of the foot and 

 its mode and rate of growth, the question, — ;What shall the farrier 

 remove from the organ, to prepare it properly for the shoe? — 

 becomes simple ; and the reader may readily anticipate the answer. 

 It will be evident to the common sense of every one, if more horn 

 is removed from the sole at the end of a month than the blood 

 vessels of the sole has secreted in the same period, or if more wall 

 be removed from the base of the foot at the end of a month than 

 has been secreted during a like period, and if such operation be 

 frequently repeated under similar conditions, the result sooner or 

 later must inevitably be, lameness to the foot, and destruction to 

 the usefulness of the animal. 



We have stated that the sole is cast from the foot in layers 

 or flakes. Let the farrier remove only those layers or flakes 

 which are loose, and which would, if left alone, be exfoliated 



