BAL 



BAL 



they first travel. To prevent it, their 

 backs should be cooled every lime 

 they are baited, and now and then 

 washed with warm water and wiped 

 dry with a linen cloth. The best cure 

 for a sore back is a lotion of 1 drachm 

 of sugar of lead with 1 pmt of vinegar 

 and water. 



BACK SINEWS, SPRAIN OF 

 THE. This is often occasioned by 

 the horse being overweighted, and 

 then ridden far and fast, especially if 

 his pasterns are long ; but it may oc- 

 cur from a false step, or from the 

 heels of the shoes being too much 

 lowered. Sprain of the back sinews 

 is detected by swelling and heat at 

 the back of the lower part of the leg, 

 puffiness along the course of the sin- 

 ews, extreme tenderness so far as 

 the swelling and heat extend, and 

 very great lameness. 



The first object is to abate the in- 

 flammation, and this should be at- 

 tempted by bleeding from the plate 

 vein, by means of which blood is 

 drained from the inflamed part ; next, 

 local applications should be made to 

 the back of the leg, in the form of 

 fomentations of water, sufficiently 

 hot, and frequently repeated ; at the 

 same time, as much strain as possible 

 should be taken from the sinew, by 

 putting a high calkin on the heel of 

 the shoe. 



BACK-RAKING. An operation 

 in farriery, by which hardened faices 

 are withdrawn from the rectum. 



BACON. See Hog. 



B.\GGING. A mode of reaping 

 corn or pulse with a hook, in which 

 the operator effects his object by .stri- 

 king the straw, or haulm, instead of 

 drawing the hook through it ; in oth- 

 er words, it is separating the straw, 

 or haulm, from the root by chopping, 

 instead of bv a drawing cut. 



BAKING OF LAND. Clayey 

 lands, when ploughed wet, become 

 incrusted or baked : seed cannot 

 break through the crust, and should 

 be again sown. 



BALANCE FOR ANALYSIS. 

 This important instrument may be 

 considered as consisting of an inflex- 

 ible rod, or lever, called the beam, 



E2 



; furnished with three axes : one, the 

 [ fulcrum or centre of motion, situated 

 1 in the middle, upon which the beam 

 I turns, and the other two near the ex- 

 j tremities, and at equal distances from 

 the middle ; these last are called the 

 I points of support, and serve to sus- 

 i lain the pans or scales. The points 

 of support and the fulcrum should be 

 I in the same right line. The arms of 

 the lever being equal, it follows that, 

 if equal weights be put into the scales, 

 no effect will be produced on the po- 

 sition of the balance, and the beam 

 will remain horizontal. 



If a small addition be made to the 

 weight in one of the scales, the hori- 

 zontality of the beam will be disturb- 

 ed, and after oscillating lor some time, 

 it will, on attaining a state of rest, 

 form an angle with the horizon, the 

 extent of which is a measure of the 

 delicacy or sensibility of the bal- 

 ance. 



What we have now stated will 

 serve to illustrate the principle of the 

 balance. Its mode of construction 

 will be best understood by a dia- 



One of the best form is here repre- 

 sented. The parts are all so arran- 

 ged that it can, at pleasure, be lifted 

 off the points of support. This is ef- 

 fected by aid of the two uprights, 

 which are elevated by a small lever 

 at the bottom. The scale pans are 

 made of brass or platma. 



In order to try the goodness of a 

 pair of scales, the scales should be 

 taken off" the beam to ascertain if the 



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