96 THE HOESE EDUCATOE. 



the coYering thus removed is provided by nature 

 to protect the too rapid evaporation of the 

 moistnre of the hoof, and ^hen taken away 

 causes the horn to become dry and brittle. It has 

 long been customary to use as many nails as 

 could be conveniently diiven, in fact, of fastening 

 the shoe as if it were to be fastened to a lifeless 

 block of wood, therefore the fear is very com- 

 monly entertained that the shoe will not be held 

 in its place with so few nails. Such fears are 

 utterly groundless, as both theory and practice 

 concur" in asserting. If the presence of a nail in 

 the crust were a matter of no moment, and two 

 or thr^e more than are really necessary were 

 merely useless, no great reason would exist for 

 condemning the common practice of using too 

 many nails, but it is far otherwise ; the nails 

 aside from confining the natural expansion of the 

 hoof, separate the fibres of the horn, which 

 never by any chance become united again, but 

 continue apart and imclosed, until by degrees, 



