SECURING SOLIPEDS. 47 



(2d. ) With double side lines, or two ro2)es. — This is dene by means 

 of a long rope, doubled in its middle, and having a knot made in 

 such away as to form a loop large enough to be drawn over the 

 head and neck of the animal ; the two ends below the knot are 

 then passed in front of the chest and between the fore legs, 

 carried, one to each hind leg, aroiind the coronet, turning it once 

 around the main roj)e, and passed on the collar loop from within 

 outwards, to strong assistants standing on each side of the 

 animal. By steady pulling both hind legs are carried forward, 

 until the animal loses his balance and settles on his haimches, 

 when a strong efibrt of the assistant at the head brings him down 

 on the bed. The hind legs are secured to the collar loop with 

 the ends of the rope, and the fore to the hind legs in the same 

 manner. 



The various methods of casting which we have been consider- 

 ing, with hobbles and with ropes are, as we have before said, not 

 the only plans recommended. Almost every country < f EurojDe, 

 while also using the hobbles, has a fashion of its own in which the 

 ropes are utilized, and as to the fact of their widespread, if not 

 universal use, it would seem that not a few veterinarians of exten- 

 sive practice have originated and employed special methods of 

 their own devising, for which they claim more or less superiority. 

 Among those recommended in this country, we may mention the 

 apparatus of Mr. IVIiles, which he has used for years in his exten- 

 sive practice as castrator. Dr. Wm. Dougherty, of Baltimore, has 

 sent us a set of rope-hobbles and side-line, which upon personally 

 testing we are able to recommend as possessing important points 

 of excellence, especially in casting young colts for castration. For 

 further light and broader information on this subject we must 

 refer our readers to the standard authors by whom it has been 

 discussed in the French, German, Danish and Russian tongues, 

 feeling at the same time quite confident that the general rules 

 which we have suggested and illustrated for the performance of 

 the operation of casting are sufficient to guide any intelhgent 

 oi^erator through all the steps of the proceedings. 



C. — Casting on the Operating Table. 



The necessity of employing such a number of assistants in 

 throwing a horse, with the difficulties often encountered in con- 

 ducting all the steps of the operation, and the accidents which 



