36 MANUAL OF PACK TEANSPOKTATION. 



of the hand upward, so as not to disturb the bed of hay underneath 

 the hand, increasing the width and depth of dressing as you recede 

 from the front corner, and the inward edge of dressing to be of semi- 

 circular form; for the next 4 inches decrease the thickness rapidly as 

 the hand-hole is approached. This will leave the filling of the front 

 boot obviously greater than the rear boot. The difference should be 

 about 1 inch for mules of ordinary girth in barrel; mules of larger 

 girth will necessarily require more hay in the front boot to make the 

 aparejo sit on the animal with the boot sticks parallel. 



Next, make a dressing under the collar of aparejo for the withers 

 of the animal. 



For this purpose keep the palm of the hand up and carry the hay 

 well into the corners at front, using as little of tne hay at each time 

 as possible, so as not to disturb the bed formed beneath the hand; 

 carry this dressing back from the corner, increasing the width and 

 depth of dressing as you recede from the corners, the outer edge of 

 dressing to be of semicircular form. 



The upper point of the semicircle should not approach the center 

 line within a space of 4 inches. The whole line of semicircle should 

 gradually decrease in thickness as the hand-hole is approached to 

 within 4 inches of hole. The depth of this dressing will be governed 

 by the height of the animal's witners. The aparejo when cinched on 

 the mule should be level from front to rear. In similar manner the 

 boots must be parallel and horizontal. 



The front edge, between boot and collar, may now have an addi- 

 tional dressing 3 inches wide and about 1 inch in thickness, tapering 

 each way toward the center, so as to give opportunity for the aparejo 

 to brake or conform to the body of the animal, in the act of cinching; 

 and the aparejo is properly "set up." 



Now stand the aparejo up; that is, cause it to stand on its boots. 

 Next, procure a crupper (standard size), and two lace thongs each 

 about 7 feet long and one-half of an inch wide; at heavy end of each 

 lace thong, and three-fourths of an inch from each end cut a slit IJ 

 inches long, introduce the light end of each thong through the upper 

 hole on each end of crupper and pass the end through the slit on 

 opposite end of thong and draw down snug; next procure two lace 

 thongs, length of thongs, say 12 inches, and attach the crupper to 

 the "carrier" pieces, and tie down; this helps to hold the crupper in 

 the operation of lacing. 



Now pass the end of crupper lacing through the second hole on front 

 facing (counting from the collar), from above down or, as may be 

 said, from outside toward inside, and draw thong snug. 



Next, in similar manner, pass the thong through the second hole 

 on crupper, then through the fourth hole on front facing, again 

 through the fourth hole on crupper, and, lastly, through the bottom 

 or end hole on front facing and crupper, and tie down. Always 

 finish the tie on the last hole of the crupper; never on the front 

 facing, as action of the crupper, which should bind or steady the 

 aparejo is lost by such action. 



It must be remembered that the lacing must positively pass through 

 holes on front facing and crupper from above down, in order that 

 lacing may not render or slip when the aparejo is fitted to the mule. 



Next, punch two holes, one-half inch apart, at each extremity of 

 the center line of the aparejo, and between the two outside stitch 



