BEDDING THE TIPS. 91 



has not been quite as mucli as the growth. He has been used, with 

 few exceptions, daily on the road, and as most of the time the streets 

 were wet, there was more wear than there would have been in dry- 

 weather. The streets and drives in Oakland are formed of macadam, 

 with gi-avel or finely-broken stone on the surface, and the hoi-n wears 

 away more rapidly than in the summer. This experiment was fur- 

 ther proof of the necessity for bedding the tip, as heretofore described, 

 into the foot, and also that it is important to frequently reset them. 

 The growth of the horn, between the tip and the foot, being more 

 rapid than Avhen the full shoe is used, the iron must be i-emoved 

 whenever the bearing is thrown out of the proper level. As steel 

 tips, hardened, are used, there is little wear in the metal, and if the 

 heel is not as low as it was, there is the difference to overcome. The 

 best plan is, to sink the tip rather more than to bring it to the level 

 of the heel, and the action of some hoi'ses is benefited thereby. But 

 as the same nail-holes can be used for two shoeings, when steel is the 

 material, and not longer than three weeks intervene between the 

 " removals," there is no injury from extra pei'forations. The fewer 

 holes in the horn, the fewer tubes will be cut, and the supply of fluid 

 they carry only slightly interfered with. 



The objection to the use of tips which is the most frequently and 

 persistently urged by those who denounce the practice, is the claim 

 that the heels will be bruised if left as nature made them. This has 

 a plausible look, and without the person who hears it offered has 

 made some progress in acquiring the art of for)ning his opinions on 

 what can be proved, is very likely to carry conviction. In former 

 papers tlie fallacy of the claim was shown, but as such wide intervals 

 have elapsed since the publication of the series, it becomes necessary 

 to reiterate. With the dx-awbacks arising from a want of connec- 

 tion, alid the necessity of going over the same ground, there are 

 advantages in being able to make more positive statements resulting 

 from later experiments, and even if the repetition may be something 

 like a tale many times told, the subject is of importance enough to 

 warrant the rehearsal. The importance of taking cai-e of the feet of 

 the horse has always been realized, and there have been so many 

 plans for counteracting the ailment which is most pi'evalent that it 



