THE FORM AND MANUFACTURE OF SHOES. 



63- 



I must mention another objection to calkins. They 

 increase the tendency to "cut," and iiiany horses will 

 •cease "cutting" after calkins are removed and a level 

 shoe has been adopted. 



Nails and Nail-Holes. — It is necessary to consider 

 these together, as they are dependent on each other. 

 Shoes were first nailed to the feet by flat-headed nails, 

 and probably it was a long time before the wedge-headed 

 nail was thought of. When the nail head fits into the 

 nail hole, it may retain the shoe till it is worn as thin as 

 a x)enny, but if only the shank of the nail enters the shoe, 

 the head is soon worn off and the shoe becomes loose. 

 Within the last twenty years the horse-shoe nail trade 

 has been revolutionized by the introduction of machinery. 

 Machine-made nails are now almost entirely used, and 

 the three or four leading brands are as near perfection as 

 were the very best hand-made. Practically there is no 

 fault to find with them, and as they are ready-pointed 

 for driving, they save time and labor in the forge. They 

 are made in various sizes, and numbered from 2 to 16. 

 Only the very best iron can be used to produce good 

 nails. Nothing is dearer than bad nails, which cause 

 injury to the foot and loss of shoes. 



Fig. 41.— Good and bad nail-holes. 



A good nail should present certain forms of head, 

 neck and shank. The head should not be too broad at 

 the top or it may become fixed in the nail-hole only by 

 its upper edge, as shown in the middle diagram (Fig. 41), 

 and Avhen the shoe has had a few days' wear, the nail 

 loses its hold, and the shoe is loose. The neck should 

 not be too thick, as it is then liable to press on the sen- 

 sitive foot and to break the wall. The shank should 



