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him to serve a long apprenticeship, and cannot be fully un- 

 derstood without a practical teaching and experience of five 

 or seven years. There are horse-shoers who thoroughly under- 

 stand their profession, and I recognize them as one of the 

 greatest body of men that we have to-day in any profession 

 There are rates upon shoeing that is being done at the present timt 

 by irresponsible parties, unskilled workmen, at the low rate of 

 seventy-five cents for shoeing a horse all around. Xow it is im- 

 possible for any blacksmith to shoe a horse and do his work in a 

 scientific manner for less than $2, and from that to $3, per horse. 

 It will be a great satisfaction to me, and I believe to the mil- 

 lions of horse owners, if a law should be passed in every State 

 throughout America prohibiting a man from shoeing a horse 

 or driving a nail into a horse's foot until he has served so 

 many years as an apprentice. Then let him go to the capital of 

 the State and there pass an examination that he is a qualified, 

 capable and able horse-shoer, thoroughly understanding his profes- 

 sion. Let him then receive his diploma to show the world that he 

 has gained his profession by hard study and work, and is ready to 

 perform his work in a skillful manner. 



If this should ever become a law, we should soon find out that we 

 have only got a very few practical horse-shoers in the United States. 



I hope that those who read my ideas upon shoeing will hereafter 

 appreciate a good horse-shoer. Do not patronize your cheap mechan- 

 ics, but patronize those who understand their profession. You will 

 then encourage men of good judgment, good common sense, to work 

 hard in order to elevate their profession. 



Question. How should a horse be shod \ 



Answer. Pare the foot perfectly level ; never take any more out 

 at the heel than you do at the toe ; never allow your horse's frog to 

 be cut in any way, shape or form. If there are rags hanging to the 

 frog let them remain there ; never have the bars of your horse's foot 

 cut. Let the horse-shoer cut enough of the sole out of the horse's 

 foot so that the shoe will not rest or press upon the sole, leaving ai? 

 equal bearing or pressure upon the sole of the horse's foot. 



Have a shoe made that is concave from the third nail hole all the 



