DRESSING HOUNDS 95 



dispensed with, at a considerable saving of expense to 

 the master, and of pain to the unhappy animal operated 

 upon. Why it is necessary, to cure a slight blotch on 

 a hound's skin, that he should undergo the ordeal of 

 being nearly poisoned, and his legs caused to swell to 

 half the size of his body, for the life and soul of me (as 

 Pat said) it bothers me quite entirely. 



Some years ago I lent a very favourite hound to a 

 friend who had just taken a new huntsman, quite per- 

 fection in his opinion ; and a few days after, on calling 

 at the kennel, I saw my old favourite lying dead on the 

 dung-heap, blown up like a bladder, absolutely poisoned 

 by this fool's dressing. So great was my dislike to 

 dressing hounds, that for many years no other remedy 

 was ever used by me for little eruptions on the skin than 

 plain yellow sulphur, sprinkled and rubbed into the 

 hounds' coats ; and a huntsman who cannot keep his 

 pack clean and in blooming condition without having 

 recourse to noxious applications has httle pretension to 

 the character of a good kennel manager, however talented 

 he may be in other respects. 



It is too much the fashion to feed hounds on the same 

 food all the year round, the quantity only being reduced 

 during the summer months, for no earthly reason, but 

 contrary to all reason ; and to this practice must be 

 attributed the necessity for dressing, bleeding, and 

 physicking, all of which might be avoided by a partly 

 vegetable diet in hot weather, which common sense 

 would prescribe, but prejudice, combined with ignorance, 

 refuses to adopt. Cabbages, young nettles, and mangold 

 wurzel are most wholesome vegetables for dogs, and 

 should be freely used, at least two days in the week, from 

 the beginning of May until August ; independent of their 



