28 OF SHOEING. 



of the crust, it will be remembered, is generally 

 about half an inch, and that of the intervening 

 structure between the crust and the sole, in which 

 the fibres of both are interlaced, and which is there- 

 fore capable of sustaining some portion of the 

 weight, as mentioned above under the head of 

 " structure of the sole " in para. 17, is about a 

 quarter of an inch. The total width, then, of the 

 weight-bearing structure of the foot is about three- 

 quarters of an inch. This, therefore, must be the 

 width of the shoe. 



The shoe must rest not on a part, but on the 

 whole of the weight-bearing structure. To enable 

 it to do so, it is necessary, that the shoe should, 

 contrary to the usual practice of seating out, be 

 made flat towards the foot. (Vid. inf., para. 62.) 



The width of the shoe must not be greater than 

 that of the weight-bearing structure of the foot. 

 Any greater width than this must, as regards sup- 

 porting weight, be perfectly useless, and further 

 will be the means of allowing dirt and gravel to 

 lodge between the shoe and the recessed sole, and 

 will also render the shoe hable to be pulled off in 

 heavy ground. The width of the shoe is technically 

 termed its web. 



The width of the weight-bearing substance of the 

 foot being practically uniform throughout, until it 

 approaches the heels, the web of the fore shoe must 

 likewise up to the same point be uniform. At the 



