SHOEING. 277 



and no skill can fit a new shoe properly and neatly to the 

 foot. 



A sort of knife, thick on the back and thin on the edge, 

 should be used. With this, the clinches are to be raised or 

 cut off, and then the point of the knife placed on the point of 

 the nail, and a slight tap on the back of the knife will start 

 the nail. After the clinches are raised and the nails started, 

 they can easily be drawn, one by one. No danger, no con- 

 siderable loss of time, occurs in this method of removing the 

 old shoe. 



The Bars not to he Cat awcuj. — The use of the bars is un- 

 doubtedly to prevent contraction, or to keep the foot properly 

 expanded. They have been carefully and accurately described 

 when speaking of the anatomy of the foot. They are placed 

 in a situation which is somewhat in the way of the smith in 

 paring the sole, and he often cuts them away to the very level 

 of the sole. This is a most injurious practice. It robs the 

 foot of its most powerful means of resistance against con- 

 traction. The knife should not at all be used on the bars, 

 unless they should be torn and rough, when they may be 

 trimmed smooth, and no more. 



The side of the bar is sometimes pared otf to give the ap- 

 pearance of a wide heel. This is very injurious, for it weak- 

 ens the bars and disposes to contraction. This practice is 

 condemned on this account by even those who recommend 

 the cutting away of the projecting portion of the bars. 



The Frog not to he Cut down. — Blacksmiths, generally, seem 

 to have an unaccountable itch for cutting away the frog; 

 and why this is so would seem hard to explain. It is not 

 at all in the way in shoeing. It only adds to the work to 

 be done to cut it away. I can see but one reason for it. 

 The frog is a body of rather soft, or spongy, horn, and under 

 a sharp knife, whittles, or chips ofP, very nicely. It is a sort 

 of Yankee gratification, like whittling a pine stick. This is 

 the best apology I can conceive for this ruinous practice. 



