172 avery's own farrier. 



with a sharp knife before they can suck well, and then they 

 are apt to be costive so that nothing passes the bowels, 

 and this is often accompanied with a difficulty of making 

 water also, and, unless relieved, they die from these 

 causes alone. Now when this happens to be the case, 

 give them a few spoonsfull of sweet milk well sweetened 

 with molasses, and inject some of the same after adding 

 a very little of the pulverized root of rhubarb. This is 

 all that will be necessary to remove the difficulty. Colts 

 at this age are sometimes troubled with a weakness of 

 the fore legs, so that they knuckle over and can scarcely 

 stand or go — that is, the muscles of the back part of the 

 fore legs are so contracted, and those of the fore part 

 becoming weak and rdaxed, that it gives them the ap- 

 pearance of having broken knees or fetlocks. Now sup- 

 posing you had a board that was badly warped, and you 

 wished to straighten it, you would wet the hollowing 

 side in order to swell it, and heat the opposite side in 

 order to shrink it, and in this way you would succeed in 

 bringing it straight again. Thus it is with these warped 

 legs; bathe the heavy muscles of the back and upper 

 part of the arm with warm water, and wash the fore 

 part of the leg and joints with a decoction of the white 

 oak and sweet apple tree bark; this is strengthening and 

 a powerful astringent, and to the colt should be applied 

 but sparingly. In colts, this weakness of the joints is 

 sometimes caused by a relaxed state of the bowels or 

 dysentery, which causes a general weakness. When it 

 proceeds from this cause, give the colt the following 

 dose, viz: Take a teaspoonfull each of tincture of lauda- 

 num, camphoretted spirits, essence of peppermint, and 



