Care of Vehicles and Horses 353 



the sun when wet, lest the same result obtain; he 

 always has it washed, after using, as soon as possi- 

 ble — at all events, before the mud dries, it is well 

 sluiced down, that the dirt may not harden,- and, 

 after the horse is attended to, it is at once carefully 

 cleaned — not by smearing over with a dirty sponge 

 full of grit and grease, and then a rinse-ofT with a 

 few pails of water flung at (and frecjuently into) it, 

 but well-sprinkled by playing the hose or watering- 

 pot gently over it to float away all the particles 

 possible to thus remove, and by then cleansing the 

 the body with a large soft sponge, and the under 

 carriage and v/heels with another — the two never 

 being interchangeable; a chamois carefully drying 

 all parts thereafter; and the wheel-hubs and circle 

 being cleansed wiith plenty of soap and water, or a 

 little turpentine, to remove any grease. The car- 

 riage floor has previously been swept out and 

 washed; the linings, seats, and carpet dusted and 

 swept clean; and pains taken that the window- 

 wells, etc., are not filled with water, lest panels swell 

 and crack. Now, and only now, is the vehicle, after 



