DISEASES OF HORSES AND CATTLE. 241 



elusion that the sole as well as the wall is intended 

 to perform this weight-bearing function." This 

 principle of shoeing I carried on for thirteen years 

 on the artillery and cavalry horses under my care, 

 and during that time the draw knife was never 

 used. The result was we had no lame horses. The 

 majority of them had as sound feet at the end as 

 they had when first purchased. On the other hand 

 I will give you a description of the ordinary 

 method. The blacksmith takes his knife, pares out 

 the sole until he can bend it with the pressure of 

 his thumb; then he cuts down the frog, opens out 

 the heels, as they call it, then applies a hot shoe to 

 the wall to burn the part where the shoe is not 

 level, and these parts are cut down to fit the shoe 

 instead of the shoe fitting the foot. This shoe is 

 usually beveled, except a small bearing surface at 

 the heel, where it is level, and has a wider bearing- 

 surface. This shoe is then nailed on and the hoof 

 rasped up to or nearthetop,thusdestroyingtheen- 

 amel. This the smith calls a neat job. The result 

 of this is, the horse has to support all its weight on 

 the wall, the sole taking no part. The beveled part 

 of the shoe soon sinks into the wall, and a great 

 deal of pressure is brought to bear on the heels, 

 resulting in corns. The animal having to sustain 

 its weight on the walls, they are more or less 

 pressed upward, straining their attachments with 

 the sensitive laminae, and probably pressing on 

 the coronary bands. This does not often cause 

 lameness at first, but it is sufficient to interfere 



