8 ' NOTES ON SHOEING OF HORSES. 



lias been lost. Such, no doubt, is the case as re- 

 gards the upper or more organized portions of the 

 crust, but inasmuch as the outer superficial layer 

 spoken of above cannot be reproduced except with 

 a new growth of horn, the moisture, even if repro- 

 duced, cannot be long retained. It must, like the 

 former moisture, evaporate, because the outer imper- 

 vious layer provided for its retention has been 

 destroyed by rasping. 



But the lower portion of the crust, which is most 

 severely and most often rasped, into which the nails 

 have to be driven, and which is, therefore, pecuharly 

 liable to suffer from brittleness, is, as already men- 

 tioned, of such an inorganic nature, that it may be 

 doubted whether its moisture, if once lost, is ever 

 resupplied. But whether resupphed or not, the 

 moisture must soon exude on account of the damage 

 done to the structure of the crust by such repeated 

 rasping. 



From this inorganic structure of the lower part of 

 the crust, it is however sometimes argued, even by 

 those who well understand its nature, that a little 

 rasping below the clenches can do no harm, whilst it 

 facilitates the fitting of the shoe. 



We admit that there is some reason in this argu- 

 ment ; but even in such structures as the lower part 

 of the foot there remains some natural moisture, 

 which contributes to its toughness, and which it is 

 most important carefully to preserve in order to 



