QUALITIES OF HORSE-NAILS. 121 



draw the nail and point another, and frequently this 

 will be done on the face of the shoe which is par- 

 tially fixed. Nails that have scales upon them 

 should be rejected, because the scale will weaken 

 the nail at the part where it exists, and may cause 

 it to bulge in, or bend and press upon the sensitive 

 inner parts, although the point may, at the moment 

 when the weak part of the shank gets introduced, 

 be going all right; also, the scale may open out 

 in the course of driving, and cause much injury. 

 The machine-made nails of the Seeley Company are 

 to be recommended for their general good quality 

 and freedom from scaliness. From Belgium also 

 come nails superior to the English-made ones, which 

 seem to be among the poorest. 



When once these minutiae are seized, the fancied 

 difficulty is practically vanquished ; and why should 

 not a groom or a carter learn them as easily as a 

 farrier ? They generally spring from the same 

 class, and Mr. Douglas tells us that tailors throw 

 down the needle to nail on horseshoes in the army. 



We next discover that ' Aberlorna ' has travelled 

 in South America, and has ridden hundreds of miles 

 on unshod horses, whose feet ' greiv fast,'' He states 

 that ' he had often to cut the toes ' — the toes only, 

 mark — ' which was done with some difficulty with a 

 chisel and mallet.' To people who have not had his 

 experience it might be interesting to learn from him 

 whether he means that the only difficulty consisted 

 in the density and toughness of the horn being so 

 great as to render a heavy mallet necessary to drive 



