THE GOODENOUGH SHOE. 73 



refused to nail them on, and they paraded the streets with banners 

 and mottoes to intimidate theii- " bosses " from using them. 



At that time I had several long conversations with Mr. G., and 

 gave the shoes a trial, being in the main pleased, though the cutting 

 of the channel so deeply I was opposed to, and endeavored to remedy 

 that by having the shoes flattened at the heels. Among other things 

 which were discussed, was the cause of corns, and he very correctly 

 ascribed the origin of them to the pressure of the ordinary shoe. 

 David A. Gage had a tine road-horse which was grievously troubled 

 Avith them, and at Mr. Groodenough's suggestion tips were put on 

 him. He went much ])etter, biit owing to the erroneous method of 

 preparing the foot they had to be given up. Had Mr. Goodenough 

 had the channel, which he directed to be made for the reception of 

 his shoe, cut only far enough back to receive the tip, allowing the 

 whole of the posterior part of the foot to rest on the ground as well 

 as the frog, there wouLl have been but Kttle variation from the treat- 

 ment recommended in these papers. It is rather surprising that he 

 did not come to the conclusion, and that if there were so many bene- 

 fits to be derived from " frog-pressure," there must have been analo- 

 gous advantages following the other natural provisions against the 

 injuries arising from concussion and conti"action. The trouble was 

 that he overrated the beneficial efiects of frog-pressure, and in esti- 

 mating: that it would make amends for all the evils which follow 

 shoeing, he did not progress to the ultimate point. His shoe is a 

 thick one, requiring so deep a cutting away of the hoi'n that the con- 

 tinuity between the wall and sole is weakened, and had it not 

 been for the jar being so much weakened by the frog, the animal 

 would have been lamed in a brief period. 



Many think that the wall and sole of the horse are the same, and 

 that the difierence in texture is owing to something they never 

 ti-oubled themselves to discern. Though intimately connected, they 

 are entirely difierent, and maceration will separate them in a short 

 time. It is obvious that when the junction is made so much thin- 

 ner, especially at the weakest point, iijjury must arise from the cut- 

 ting away of the horn of the wall and sole to such a depth as is 

 necessary to imbed a thick shoe so that the gx'ound sui-face is on a 



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