146 SHOEKING. 
tions, or such parts as may conceal dirt or other matter 
producing unhealthy action. 
r 
APPLICATION OF THE SHOE. 
In applying the shoe to the foot it should not be set 
back half-or three quarters of an inch from the toe— 
the projecting parts of the wall cut away as is usually 
the custom. The shoe should be carried fully to the 
outer margin | of the wall. Thus we preserve the wall 
entire, giving its full bearing surface for the shoe, pre- 
serving the wall uninjured. By removing any por- 
tion of the crust it is weakened in exact proportion as it 
is cut away, reducing the space for driving the nails, 
and increasing the danger of pricking; or, what is as 
bad, driving the nails too close, to say nothing of thé 
change from the natural form of the foot. It is these 
abuses which compel us to regard shoeing the great 
evil of his domestication. ‘The nails should be properly . 
pointed, and not driven too high up—care should be_ 
taken to have them as regular as possible. Three 
nails on the inside and four on the outside are usu- 
ally all that are required for any purpose. Clips,-if used 
at all, should be small, otherwise they are the frequent 
cause of an obscure lameness, which is very difficult to 
manage. The mischief is done by the horn in its down- 
ward growth meeting with the resistance which the clip 
offers, hence the horn is turned inward upon the inside 
toe, causing pressure upon the sensitive lamine and cof- 
fin-bone, causing inflammation, and, from pressure, the 
bone is absorbed at the toe, while the soft tissues under- 
go other permanent alterations of structure, alike de- 
structive of the animal’s usefulness. 
