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the naked eye. The hoof grows about a 

 quarter of an inch per month, so that in 

 three months three-quarters of an inch of 

 new hoof will have been formed. It is so 

 different that its growth can be followed 

 by the eye, month by month. Its grain 

 is finer, its surface smoother, it is much 

 bluer in color, and it is also a little smaller 

 in diameter — about one-sixteenth of an 

 inch on each side. This can be followed 

 in a pasture field, for about five months, 

 to the closing of the pasture season, and 

 is accounted for by the farmers as due to 

 the dampness of the ground and the dew 

 on the pasture. But I have followed it 

 through the entire year in a stable that is 

 absolutely fresh, and have compared the 

 hoofs grown in such a stable with those 



