33 



l^lioukl "entlv draw the tongue a little out of the 

 mouth, so as to prevent its rising to resist the passage 

 of the hand ; but the tongue should not be held out 

 alone, or the struggles of the horse may injure it, 

 hut it should be held firmly by the fingers of the 

 left hand against the jaw. The ball, being previously 

 oiled (the silver paper that is round all neatly and 

 properly prepared balls should not be taken off), 

 must now be taken in the fingers of the right hand, 

 lengthways, when the hand, being squeezed into as 

 small a space as possible, should be passed up the 

 mouth close to the roof, by which injui-y from the 

 teeth w ill be avoided : having placed the ball on 

 the root of the tongue, the hand should be with- 

 drawn, and the tongue liberated, but not the head ; 

 when the ball will pass down. The head should, dur- 

 ing the whole, be but moderately elevated : when it 

 is held too high, there is frequently danger of chok- 

 ing the horse. As the operation of giving balls, 

 and even drenches, is a very forcible one, and pro- 

 duces great resistance on the part of the horse, so it 

 is impossible to give them (except in cases of con- 

 siderable emergency) more than twice a da^/; and 

 yet some veterinarians, who write from theory, and 

 not from practice, are found, in common cases, di- 

 recting balls and drinks every three or four hours. 



Balls should be prepared Vvith vei-y great care : 

 the dry ingredients should be very finely powdered, 

 and the moist most intimately mixed. In preparing 

 them, an accurate knowledge of chemistry is neces- 

 sary, or one substance may have such an effect on 

 another as to convert it into a poison. When in- 

 tended to be kept, great care is requisite to preserve 



