avery's own farrier. 43 



"When you have a horse diseased in any way, treat him 

 accordingly; but when you have one that is lean in flesh, 

 and looks jaded, and coat stares, without any local 

 disease, only been worked hard, and his fare still harder, 

 and wish to improve his condition (or fat him), if kept 

 up to dry food, give him in his food a spoonful of flour 

 of sulphur three times a week; and if he is a very hearty 

 eater (as they are quite apt to be, in this condition), I 

 should not object to adding to the above as much black 

 antimony as would lay on a ten cent piece, for the pur- 

 pose of nauseating him a little; after which, twice or 

 three times a week, give a little of the bark of sassafras, 

 W'ell pulverized, and a teaspoonful of ginger. This gives 

 tone and action to the stomach, and is good to purity the 

 blood; if you should think proper to bleed, do it but 

 sparingly; if you feed Indian meal, make it into pudding 

 (by scalding), and add a handful of oil meal. This gives 

 him a very sleek coat. If oats are to be his food, add one- 

 third as much wheat bran; give him plenty of exercise, 

 and let his hay or straw be clean; you should begin with 

 small feeds of grain, and increase by degrees. 



As a natural result, from the efl'ects of colds, fevers, 

 and hard fare, the impurities of the blood concentrate in 

 the urine, causing the gelding to become foul in the sheath 

 and yard. It is necessary to clean those parts, which may 

 be done with warm water and hard soap, and followed 

 by a little sweet oil or lard, for the horse cannot thrive 

 well when foul; consequently it becomes one of the first 

 things to be looked after in a horse that you wish to fat- 

 ten. If his appetite is not good, take a piece of asa- 

 fcetida, the size of a chestnut, and tie it on his bit, or in 



