182 The Management and Treatment of the Horse, 



cheek or the tongue, to prevent which the teeth should 

 be filed down. If from the above cause the cheek or 

 tongue has been cut, and an ulcer formed, the mouth 

 should be washed with alum and water, as much alum 

 being used as the water will dissolve. Sometimes the 

 teeth grow irregularly in length, more especially the 

 grinders ; this proceeds generally from their not being 

 immediately opposite each other. Instances are not 

 wanting where the teeth have grown an inch or more 

 above the general level of the grinders. Indeed, the 

 writer lately had a case of this sort at Wellbury, 

 and it became necessary to cut away above an inch 

 of the tooth, to enable the animal to grind its corn. 

 Horses often fall out of condition from these causes, 

 therefore it becomes the careful groom to look well 

 to his horse's teeth. If the horse is off its feed, try 

 and find the cause ; it is often that the teeth are either 

 decayed or have met with an injury, or become rough 

 at the edge. Some years ago the writer had a horse 

 which fell off its feed, and he could find no cause for it, 

 until he examined its mouth, when, to his surprise, he 

 found a hollow tooth, and a lath nail sticking fast in 

 the tooth up to its head. The nail must have been in 

 the corn, and in eating it become fast embedded in the 

 hollow tooth. He extracted the nail with great difficulty, 

 and afterwards punched out the tooth, and never had 

 any more trouble with the horse. Another subject of 

 decayed teeth came under his care in 1871; it was a bay 

 gelding, six years old, and was in very bad condition 

 when brought. Upon carefully examining the mouth, 

 it had six hollow teeth in the top jaw, four incisor and 



