762 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. 



g. Irregularities from the Employment of Fraudulent Means. 



All salesmen endeavor to present their goods in such a condition 

 as will enable them to dispose of them to the greatest advantage, and 

 breeders and horse-dealers are not wanting in this respect. Concern- 

 ing the age, they strive to give to the mouth the characters of that 

 period of life in which the animals have their greatest value, endeavor- 

 ing to make the young appear old and those that are too old young 

 (at least in appearance). Two particular cases should be studied under 

 this heading. 



§ 1. Extracting the Incisors to make the Horsks appear 



Older. 



" In breeding districts," says Girard, " especially in Normandy, 

 breeders rather frequently extract the milk intermediates, particularly 

 in horses which are retarded in their development. This causes the 

 eruption of the permanent teeth several months earlier than usual. 

 Those who gain possession of these same horses very soon practise a 

 similar operation upon the milk corners. In this manner, a horse 

 which is not yet four and one-half years old is already provided with 

 all the permanent incisors. . . . 



" Certain subjects whose dentition has been hastened by the extrac- 

 tion of the milk-teeth will mark the age of five years, whilst they have 

 really only attained four years. 



" In order to recognize such a fraud, we must make every com- 

 parison capable of furnishing positive inductions and leading to the 

 truth. The absence or the freshness of the tushes is no criterion by 

 which to form an opinion, since these teeth, which come out most ordi- 

 narily at four years, may be advanced or retarded a year, and even 

 appear only at six years. If we examine with care the state of the 

 dental arcade, it can be verified that, though one has discovered a means 

 of hastening the eruption of the incisors, he is still unable to make these 

 teeth assume the position in the jaw which they should have and give 

 to the dental arcade which they form the disposition that is proper to 

 it. When the permanent teeth make their eruption naturally after 

 having atrophied and expelled the milk-teeth, they arrange themselves 

 symmetrically in the same order alongside of each other, and constitute 

 at the age of five years a regular arcade. In the contrary case, when 

 their eruption has been hastened by the extraction of the milk incisors, 

 they are placed somewhat crosswise and render the arcade irregular. 

 The gums and the alveolar border, at this period more or less red 



