368 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



quarter of an inch or more beyond the hoofs. A 

 clip should be turned up at the toe to hold it firm 

 in its place, and prevent the nails from breaking. 

 Sometimes one on the side serves at^ood purpose. 

 There is one thing I approve to which some ob- 

 ject, that is in scorching the shoe on the foot 

 when it is being fitted on. I do n'ot believe in 

 burning too much, ])ut enough to give it an even 

 bearing. If the hoof is thin, merely scorching is 

 suflieient, but on a strong hoof a light crust can 

 be burned without injury ; a shoe will remain on 

 longer, and prevent the nails from driving up 

 through, which always looks bad, and is liable to 

 get loose. Another important thing is, the groove 

 for the nail heads. It should be just wide enough 

 to admit the head. The holes should be punched 

 under at the toe, and straight at the heels, to ad- 

 mit the proper depth of the nail. On this point 

 smiths diff'er: Some think one inch hold is suffi- 

 cient, as more would injure the foot ; others think 

 one and a half inch necessary. That depends en- 

 tirely upon the hoof. 



The number of nails generally used is from 7 

 to 10, according to the size of the shoe. Some 

 writers think 5 is sufficient. If it is a light shoe, 

 and fitted perfectly to the foot, 5 will hold, but to 

 remain on ten or twelve weeks, as is the custom 

 with us, more are better. Bar shoes I have not 

 used for several years, as I believe a horse can be 

 shod as well without them. They are clumsy, and 

 keep the frog from growing in proper shape. 

 False quarters can be cured in a short time, with 

 care. The heels should be pared low, and the 

 shoe should be removed once in three weeks, till 

 a cure is perfected ; at the same time a gash 

 should be burned or cut at the top of the crack. 

 The false quarter should never be allowed to bear 

 on the shoe. One reason why horses are troubled 

 with* corns, is, their shoes remain on so long. 

 The best way to cure them, is to have their shoes 

 removed often, or turn them out to pasture with- 

 out shoes. 



The hind foot is differently formed from the 

 fore foot. Nevertheless, the same principle in fit- 

 ting is required. One difficulty we have to con- 

 tend with, is the interfering of horses. That may 

 be prevented by straightening the inside of the 

 shoe, and cutting away the hoof. Sometimes it 

 is necessary to have the inside of the shoe thick, 

 to cant the ankle, to let the other foot pass by 

 without striking. 



Over-reaching is prevented by setting the hind 

 shoe back, and let the hoof project over the shoe. 

 That will prevent the shoes from striking. Anoth- 

 er mode is to have a high heel calf, and low toe, 

 on the fore shoe, and a high toe and low heel on 

 the hind shoe, which so alters his gait that he 

 will not strike. Various causes have combined 

 during the last few years, to enhance the value of 

 horses, and it has become incumbent on every 

 one, to communicate any information he may have 

 gained by experience and observation, which he 

 believes may be of use to his neighbor, concern- 

 ing a matter of so much importance as the sound- 

 ness of the horse's feet. 



The matter of shoeing oxen, compared with 

 twenty years ago, is of so little importance that I 

 do not make much account of it. Then four hun- 

 dred yoke were shod in my shop in one winter ; 

 now only about forty yoke. But the shoeing is 

 as important now as ever. No two smiths make . 



ox shoes alike. The shape is of little conse- 

 quence, if the outer edge fits the foot. The most 

 important part is in having the shoe properly 

 seated. It should be plated out and left crown- 

 ing, to prevent it from pressing on the sole, but 

 level on the outside edge, for the crust to rest on. 

 The hoof should be pared level. The holes should 

 be punched under at the toe, and straight and 

 near the outer edge at the heel. From 6 to 9 

 nails are used, of a small size, as the hoof is gen- 

 erally very thin. The shoe should be more than 

 long enough to cover the foot, as the ox will trav- 

 el easier than with a short shoe. Most of our ox- 

 en are only shod once a year, and their feet are 

 generally very thin. Sometimes it is almost im- 

 possible to shoe them without their becoming 

 lame. 



FISH AS A.N AHTICIiE OF DIET. 



Fish is largely eaten by all classes, and is cer- 

 tainly nutritious. Great differences are noticeable 

 in the different species. Many kinds have large 

 quantities of oil — as the eel, salmon, herring, pil- 

 chard and sprat ; and these are therefore the least 

 digestible. The oil is mcst abundant in the 

 "thin" parts of salmon, which are consequently 

 preferred by epicures. After spawning, the qual- 

 ity is very inferior. In the cod, whiting, had- 

 dock, plaice, flounder, and turbot, thei'e is no oil, 

 except in their livers ; so that these are easily di- 

 gested, especially if they are not eaten w:ith quan- 

 tities of lobster or shrimp sauce, agreeable ad- 

 juncts, very apt to exact large compensation from 

 the delicate in the shape of acidity and flatulence. 

 Frying, of course, renders fish less digestible than 

 boiling or broiling ; and those whose digestions 

 are delicate should avoid the skin of fried fish. 

 They should also avoid dried, smoked, salted, 

 and pickled fish ; crabs, lobsters, prawns, and 

 shrimps. The oyster is more digestible when 

 raw, least so when stewed. Dr. Beaumont found 

 the raw oyster took two hours and fifty-five min- 

 utes to digest, the roasted oyster 3.15, and the 

 stewed 3.30. What is called "scalloping" gives 

 oysters a delicious flavor, but the heat coagulates 

 the albumen and hardens the fibrine, besides, the 

 effect of heat on the butter in which they are 

 cooked renders it very unfit for the delicate stom- 

 ach. — Lewis's Physiology of Common Life. 



Fine Strawberries. — Among the fine straw- 

 berries we have seen this summer, was a basket 

 from the Messrs. BuNCE, of Westford, called the 

 Bunce Sirawberry. They were very large and 

 rich. We understood Mr. Bunce to say that the 

 plants which produce them came from the East 

 Indies several years ago, and that he has contin- 

 ued them pure, and by careful cultivation has 

 brought them to a state of high perfection. 



Lamp Lighters. — A subscriber to the Ameri' 

 can AijricnUurist says : Uninjured straws of rye, 

 oats and wheat, cut in lengths of about six inches, 

 aie valuable for lighting candles or lamps. Placed 

 in a glass or other small vessel, on the mantel or 

 shelf they are quite ornamental. The above may 

 be valuable in districts where waste paper is 

 scarce. 



