186 AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK.- 



however, or if the tumor is so near maturity that suppura- 

 tion is inevitable, the May-apple liniment is the proper re- 

 course. A thin coating of this should be' spread over the 

 whole surface of the tumor each morning, and carefully 

 washed off at night, after which any old grease that may be 

 at hand should be well rubbed on. This treatment should 

 be continued for three or four days, or until matter forms in 

 the little fissures of the crusted skin. "When the pus begins 

 to ooze out freely, the liniment may be gradually increased 

 in quantity, and allowed to remain as long as a day and a 

 night, but never more than this. At the end of another 

 twenty-four hours it may again be applied freely, without 

 preliminary cleansing of the surface. It must always be 

 washed off thoroughly before the grease is rubbed on, with 

 a cloth and warm, strong soap-suds. 



The use of this liniment will produce effects really aston- 

 ishing to one who has never before witnessed them. At first 

 it occasions a severe burning and itching, so that the horse 

 will require careful fastening to prevent him from rubbing 

 it" off. After suppuration has once fairly begun, however, 

 he will stand in one place for hours together, apparently in 

 the enjoyment of great relief. The amount of matter dis- 

 charged is surprising, often oozing out from the enlarged 

 pores of the skin in such abundance as to run down the leg 

 to the ground, and stand in a puddle at the horse's feet. 

 When this stage has been reached the crisis is past, and a 

 cure is only a question of time. A few weeks, however, are 

 usually sufiicient. The hair, which had come off, will grow 

 out again, the neck will not be crestfallen, and the horse, 

 without a scar or disfigurement of any kind, may be returned 

 to duty hardly a whit less sound than ever. 



Though requiring time to carry it out aright, this treat- 

 ment will cure in every stage of the disease, but is pecu- 

 liarly efficacious after matter has begun to form. It has 

 been known to accomplish more in four or five weeks than 

 all other remedies could bring about in as many months. 

 Its philosophy seems to be simply the active suppuration 



