MINOR DISEASES 143 



tow to act as a binder covering all with a cotton 

 bandage. I never took them off but let them 

 gradually wear off, and I never had any trouble 

 with sore legs. I did not put them on till rather 

 late and then they remained on till the ground 

 had lost some of its hardness at any rate. For 

 obviously it was impossible to take a horse out 

 hunting with remnants of a charge hanging about 

 his forelegs. 



A charge is easily made and Capt. Hayes 

 gives a good recipe which may be quoted. Take 

 4 oz. each Burgundy Pitch and Beeswax and 

 melt together stirring in at the same time 2 oz. 

 Mercurial ointment. Capt. Hayes suggests that 

 these charges should not be allowed to stop on 

 more than a month or the horse's legs will become 

 sore. I do not know of course what the propor- 

 tion of mercurial ointment was in Mr Osborne's 

 charges but I can only repeat that I let them come 

 off of themselves and never had any trouble. 



Amongst those ailments which w^ill require 

 home treatment before professional assistance 

 can be obtained are broken knees and wounds. 

 Ordinary cases of broken knees may be managed 

 without assistance from the veterinary surgeon, 

 but in cases of a deep wound or one that is very 

 jagged at the edges it is advisable to call in 

 professional assistance, as the way in which the 

 parts are first joined together, has much to do 

 with the amount of blemish which will be left. 

 Broken knees should never be fomented, but of 

 course it is essential that all dirt shall be removed 



