300 BE THOROUGH. 



must be destroyed, or purified, with a strong solution of 

 chloride of line, or of carbolic acid. Say one pint of either 

 to twenty-five pints of water. 



744. — Mange can thus be cured with certainty, but its 

 extremely contagious character must never be lost sight of, nor 

 the possibility of the insects living a long time in the harness, 

 cloths, brushes, combs, or anything that the horse has touched. 

 The same insect will not live in the human skin, so that there is 

 no danger to man, though there will be- to cattle, and perhaps to 

 dogs. With any disease of this kind no half and half measures 

 should be tolerated. Let the treatment be vigorous and sufficient 

 with no fine drawn calculations about how little will do. We 

 once knew two farmers who bought a flock of scabby sheep 

 between them, and divided them equally. The one farmer dipped 

 his sheep four times during the first two months, and never saw 

 anything of the scab again. The other dipped his twice during 

 the same time, and kept the scab for seven years ; dipping his 

 flock two or three times a year, and losing half his wool and half 

 his lambs, with the disease all the time. 



GREASE OR SCRATCHES. 



745. — Swelled legs, with the hair standing out horizontally 

 and a cracked, itching skin about the heels, discharging offensive 

 matter, are called by diff'erent names in different parts of the 

 world, but everywhere indicate a bad circulation, and a badly 

 lubricated skin. It does not come to the horse at liberty, nor to 

 the regularly exercised and thoroughly shampooed racer or 

 hunter, but to the half tender, tied up, over fed, and over worked 

 post or cart horse. It is generally caused by excessively 

 exhausting work, alternated with enforced inaction, and from 

 dry stimulating food, containing little of the variety to meet every 

 want that the horse would find for himself in a state of nature. 

 No variety of action, no variety of rest, no variety of 

 food, and too much pollution in the air, are the general 

 causes of all such diseases. More natural and varied food, 

 more natural rest, and more pure air are the only real remedies. 

 It is greatly aggravated by the diuretic drugs so often given to 



