DONKEYS. 125 



die supeilicial dirt adhering to the coat, but the brush must 

 get right down to the skin, and all loose dandruff must be 

 removed, in order to keep the pores open. Donkeys generally 

 grow a heavy winter coat in the autunm, and this may be 

 removed by clipping as soon as it is fully grown. If the 

 donkey is required to do much fast work, it is certainly advis- 

 able to clip it, as the thick winter coat will, to some extent, 

 interfere with the animal's trotting capacity. If donkeys are 

 clipped, it will generally be necessary to repeat the clipping 

 operation a. second time about Christmas, or a little later. 

 Warm housing and clothing will, of coijrse, help to keep the 

 coat short in the winter months, while these means will also 

 cause an early shedding of the winter coat. Provided a 

 donkey is housed moderately warmly, it is not necessary to 

 put a rug on the animal, even when it has been clipped, but 

 if the stable is cold, a rug ought to be supplied. An ordinary 

 wool-lined jute rug is very suitable for rugging a donkey; but 

 a ruo- made by sewino- to2:ether tv:o sacks will answer satis- 

 factorily. By clothing a donkey after clipping, the fresh 

 growth of the hairs is retarded, and the coat thus keeps short. 

 When a donkey is turned out in the early spring or late 

 autumn, in order to get some grazing during the day, a rug 

 or sacks may, if desired, be thrown over its back, in order to 

 keep it warm and the coat short. 



Shoeing; Donkeys. — Like i)onies, donkeys require to 

 have their feet shod in order to protect them against 

 undue wear on hard roads. They should be shod once a 

 month, and the shoes require to be of medium thickness; 

 calkins must be avoided. 





