SINGEING— SHAVING— TRIMMINa. 193 



the autumn, beginning as soon as tlie new growth has attained a 

 length of half an inch beyond what is usual. The singeing-lamp 

 is then passed lightly over the whole body, and soap and water 

 being used, as I have described under the head of clipping, or a 

 sweat given if that plan is preferred, the coat is left for a fortnight 

 or three weeks till it has grown another half-inch, when the pro- 

 cess is repeated, and again a third, and even a fourth time if 

 necessary. On account of these repeated applications of the lamp, 

 the professed singer is not so often employed as the clipper, espe- 

 cially as the former's work is not so difficult to perform as that of 

 the latter. 



The lamp now in common use is attached to a wide copper comb 

 made like a rake in principle, and so arranged that the teeth raise 

 the hair and draw the ends into the flame. Where gas is procur- 

 able the comb is attached to the gas-pipe by a flexible tube, and 

 the lamp consists merely in a number of holes perforated along the 

 edge of the comb, so that a series of jets of gas are lighted, and 

 burn so strongly, that the coat is completely removed as near the 

 skin as the teeth of the comb raise it. If gas cannot be obtained, 

 a wide wick of cotton is inserted in a flat holder, and the ends pro- 

 truding to the level of the teeth, while a reservoir filled with naphtha 

 supplies them with that inflammable fluid, a constant flame is main- 

 tained, but not nearly equal in strength to that from gas. As the 

 coat is not allowed to grow so long before it is singed, so the cloth- 

 ing need not be much increased after its removal, and, indeed, in 

 well regulated stables there is little or no change required. Singe- 

 ing is performed in less than one quarter the time of clipping, and 

 a shilling's worth of naphtha is enough for one horse, unless his 

 coat is unusually long. 



Shaving was introduced some years ago to a limited extent, but 

 it requires so long a confinement of the horse after it is performed, 

 that it was soon abandoned. The hair is lathered and cut off" with 

 the razor as closely as from the human chin, and unless this is 

 done exactly at the right time, the growth subsequently is too short 

 or too long. Instances have been known in which horses have 

 remained naked until the next spring, and were thereby rendered 

 perfectly useless, as they were chilled directly their clothing was 

 removed. The only advantage in shaving over clipping is to be 

 found in the reduced labor required ; a good razor, or rather set 

 of razors, soon going over the surface. But the invention of singe* 

 ing did away with this superiority, and the shaving of horses i«? 

 therefore one of the fashions of a day which have now disappeared. 



Trimming. The jaws, nostrils, ears, legs, mane and tail, are all 

 more or less subjected to the care of the groom, who removes 

 superfluous hairs from each or all by various means, as follows : — 



The jai6-s, nostrils^ and ears are singed, the last named not being 

 17 N 



