120 THE HORSE. V 



ing, and to keep the horse tied up to tlie rack all daj with- 

 out any litter ; but at night he must be littered, in order that 

 he may lie down ; and to prevent the blister from coming 

 ofl', put a white pitch plaster over it, and tie it on with 

 broad tape. 



When the blister has done running, and the scabs begin 

 to dry and peel off, it should be applied a second time in 

 the same manner as before, and the second will have a 

 much greater effect than the first. 



When the Spavin has continued long, the blister will 

 have to be often r»oewed, perhaps five or six times ; but 

 it is necessary to observe, that after the second time, you 

 must not be less than three weeks before you lay on the 

 third, or you will destroy the roots of the hair, and leave 

 the place bald. By these means, Bone-Spavins may often 

 be cured ; but when they fail, recourse must be had to firing. 



Before you fire a horse for the Bone-Spavin, be careful 

 to take the vein out of the way, for it generally lies over 

 the Spavin ; and you cannot fire deep enough to come at 

 the callous substance, without its remov-al. In order to 

 destroy the vein, cut a nick through the skin upon it, just 

 below the Spavin, and another just above it, and put a 

 crooked needle under the vein, and tie both ends : then cut 

 the vein across between the tyings, both above and below, 

 and you may either draw the piece of the vein out, or leave 

 it in. 



Let the iron you fire with be pretty sharp ; cut four or 

 five nicks upon the bone, and let the iron take hold of the 

 superfluous bone, in order that it may waste away by mat- 

 tering ; and when you have done, lay on some white pitch, 

 pretty hot, and put a cloth around it to keep it on. In 

 three days, open the place, and dress it with yellow 

 basilicon. 



Some people put lunar caustic, or sublimate, into the 

 places ; but it is a dangerous practice, and often lames the 

 horse foi-ever. I wish those who have got a horse with a 

 Bone-Spavin, to make a full trial of the directions here 

 given, and I trust they will find them to answer the pur- 

 pose, as well as any hitherto found out. 



