218 



A DICTIONARY. 



those which exist in the stomach. This 

 substance is to be given in doses of an 

 ounce to a horse, half an ounce to a cow, 

 and three drachms to a sheep. Occasion- 

 ally, however, from the contents of the 

 stomach being in a state of fermentation, 

 no gas will escape, upon the probang or 

 trochar being introduced. The chloride of 

 potash is then to be poured down the pro- 

 bang or trochar, which ever may be used ; 

 and this substance must not be mixed with 

 either mucUage or aromatic bitters, but svil- 

 phuric ether and cold water may be joined 

 to it without injuring its effects. 



-^TiiER NiTROsus. — Swcet spirit of 

 nitre. Sweet spirit of niti^e is stimulant, 

 anti-spasmodic, diuretic, and diaphoretic. 

 The dose is from one to two ounces, diluted 

 with water. 



Age. — The age of a horse may be known 

 by marks in the front teeth and tusks of 

 the under jaw, until he is about eight years 

 old, after which period it is a matter of 

 guess-work ; yet those who are expert can 

 tell very near the exact age. There are 

 many circumstances which tend to show 

 whether a horse be old or not. The num- 

 ber of a horse's teeth is forty, — twenty-four 

 grinders, and sixteen others, — by some of 

 which his age may be known up to a certain 

 period. Mares have only thirty-six teeth, 

 as in them the tushes are usually wanting. 

 A few days after birth, the colt puts forth 

 two small front teeth in the upper and un- 

 der jaws, and soon after two more : these 

 axe called nippers. The next four shortly 

 afterwards make their appearance. The 

 four corner teeth — as they are termed — 

 come a few months after the last named. 

 These twelve teeth, in the front of the 

 mouth, are small and white, and continue 

 without much alteration until the colt is 

 about two years and a half old, when he 

 begins to shed them. The two teeth that 

 first make their appearance are the first that 

 are lost, and are replaced by two others, 

 called horse's teeth, considerably stronger 

 and larger than those that have made way 

 for them. Between the third and fourth 

 year, the two teeth next the first fall out. 



and are in like manner replaced by horse's 

 teeth. Between the fourth and fifth year, 

 the corner teeth are changed ; the tushes 

 make their appearance. About the fifth 

 year, the horse is said to have a full mouth. 

 After this period, up to the eighth year, the 

 age of a horse can, with some degree of 

 certainty, be known by the cavities in the 

 teeth, which at first are deep, but are gradu- 

 ally, by the process of mastication, worn 

 down, and about the eighth year disappear. 

 After the fifth year, the above criterion of 

 age may be corroborated by the grooves in 

 the tushes of the male, which are inside ; 

 they are two in number. At six, one of 

 these cavities, viz., the one next the grinder, 

 disappears ; at seven, the other is consider- 

 ably diminished ; and at eight is almost, 

 but not always, entirely gone. After this 

 period, the tushes become more blunt and 

 round. The marks in the upper teeth are 

 by some considered indicative of the horse's 

 age ; those in the two front teeth disappear- 

 ing at eight, in the two next at ten, and in 

 the corner teeth at twelve. The marks in 

 the lower teeth will disappear about the 

 eighth year. 



As a horse grows old, he generally turns 

 more or less gray ; the cavities above the 

 eyes become deeper ; the under lip falls ; 

 the gums shrink away from the teeth, giving 

 them the appearance of a greater length ; 

 the back becomes hoUow, or curved. 



Age of Neat Cattle is known by their 

 horns. At the age of about two years, 

 they shed their first fore teeth, which are re- 

 placed by others, larger and more prominent ; 

 about five, the early teeth are all replaced 

 by the permanent ones. As the animal ad- 

 vances in years, these teeth wear down, the 

 enamel disappears, and they assume a black 

 or brown appearance. When three years 

 old, a change takes place in the structure 

 of the horns ; after which period these ap- 

 pendages, like the permanent teeth, preserve 

 the same character. After the thnd year, 

 the horns continue to grow as long as the 

 animal lives, and the age is indicated by 

 the rings, or prominences, which are easily 

 distinguished on the horn, and by which the 



