CHAP. I.] ITS BLOOD VESSELS. 449 



exhortations to investigate the subject effect their 

 object, every man who reads these pages, whatever 

 may be his station in or about the stable or the 

 smithy, will not fail to make a section, or cut, down 

 the middle of a hoof at the earliest opportunity. 

 To effect this purpose, the now industrious operator 

 needs little more pieparation than to furnish him- 

 self with a cordwainer's knife, and a butcher's saw 

 with fine teeth : if he can add to these the use of a 

 carpenter's vice, in which to fix his subject, he will 

 much accelerate his labour. Having secured the 

 foot upside downwards, he will cut down between 

 the cleft at the heel until he comes to the bone (at h)> 

 and the wall, or horny part of the hoof (atg), where 

 the labour of sawing is to begin. The shuttle-bone 

 (h) he will feel and hear rattle forward and backward 

 at every stroke — the horn yields easily. As he 

 proceeds, he will find his trouble lessened, and his 

 views of the matter in hand much enlarged by 

 driving into the chasm his exertions have made some 

 two or three wedges of wood, whereby he will 

 ascertain that the stiffest part of the horn is elastic, 

 even though he should not have adopted the pre- 

 caution of soaking his preparation, as recommended. 

 He will thus be convinced, that the application of 

 Bracy Clark's jointed shoe is not without its uses. 

 But if our inquirer has soaked his horn, as directed, 

 he will find that the warm water renders it more 

 elastic, and he will conclude that the practice of 

 permitting their horses to stand in the kennels 

 during the issue of hot water from breweries, dye- 



