NECESSARY INSTRUMENTS. 583 



thickness of the wall of the foot intended to be shod in 

 this manner. M. Charlier insists that this instrument 

 should only be employed to make the groove or trench 

 for the reception of the shoe, the sole, frog, and bars not 

 being allowed to be pared, but only relieved of the dead 

 horn which is detached or projects in the region of the 

 heels ; and he wisely suggests that this houtoir might be 

 replaced by a flat double or single rainette, provided with 

 a guide. He gives a figure of an instrument of this kind, 

 which resembles the English farrier's drawing-knife, the 

 only difference being the presence of a stud fixed into its 

 under surface near the curve or point, to prevent cutting 

 too deeply into the margin of the sole. This contrivance, 

 however, according to my experience, is imperfect, owing 

 to the stud being a fixture, and not allowing any latitude 

 to be observed in channelling into a large, small, thin, 

 or strong hoof. My farrier-serjeant has devised a much 

 safer and more convenient instrument in the form of a 

 knife somewhat like the ordinary drawing-knife, but about 

 one-half its length, with only about an inch of cutting 

 edge at its extremity, the end of which, instead of turning 

 over in a curve, stands up at nearly a right angle to the 

 blade for about half an inch. The guide is a plate of 

 iron about three inches long, narrower than the blade of 

 the knife, with a slot or slit passing through the greater 

 part of its length, and attached to the lower face of the 

 instrument by two small screws — one of these a finger- 

 screw, which stand in this slit, and are fixed into two holes 

 in the knife. This arrangement, as will be readily under- 

 stood, permits the cutting edge to be regulated from the 

 extremity of the blade to the extent of an inch back- 



