THE FAMILY HOESE IN THE PEAIRIE STATES. 151 



and stir till cold. CaxefuUy wash the galls twice a day, dry with 

 cloth, and apply the ointment. Let the animal rest untU healed. 



SHOEING. 



Keep the hoofs nicely rounded off smooth. Unless driven 

 largely over pavement or stony roads it is best not to have the horse 

 shod. The feet will remain sounder and it will travel all ordinary- 

 roads better without. If the roads are stony or slippery it is best to 

 have shoes. Have the shoe fitted to the foot, not the foot to the 

 shoe. See that the shoe is neither too thick nor too heavy. There is 

 little danger of its being too hght. Have the hoof surface perfectly 

 flat, and the shoe fitted close up, to prevent gravel from working in 

 between the sole and the shoe. In no case allow the frog to be 

 reduced farther than the removal of the ragged ends. If it comes 

 in contact with the ground when the shoe is on, so much the better — 

 it was made to come in contact with the ground and relieve the 

 shock to the shoulder, and it should be let alone. Opening the heels 

 is also injurious to the foot, and should never be allowed. Young 

 horses require shoeing more frequently than old. Shoe as often as is 

 necessary to preserve the symmetry of the foot. Horses that wear 

 their shoes unevenly will, if in constant use, require shoeing once a 

 month, and it is best not to allow one set of shoes to remain on any 

 horse over two months at the longest. 



.GEOWING PAET OP THE FEED. 



Quite a large quantity of feed can be grown on a small lot. Cut 

 oats when just ripe, bind in small sheaves, allow to stand in small 

 shocks until the straw is cured, then store away in the hay mow to 

 be fed out in the bundle during the winter months. They form an 

 agreeable variety, and a horse will eat them, straw and all, with a 

 relish. After the oats, early potatoes and other vegetables are har- 

 vested, the ground may be sown to millet, which in a fair season 

 •wiU make a large quantity of green feed. It should all be cut and 

 fed or converted into hay before seed forms. After the millet is har- 

 vested the groimd may be plowed and sown to rye, which will be 

 ready to cut for green feed in the spring long before anything else. 

 If the land is not needed for other crops, follow the rye with oats 

 and the oats with millet. If the soil is kept moderately rich, a good 

 crop of each is almost a certainty. With this rotation an immense 

 quantity of green and dry horse-feed can be cheaply grown on a 

 small patch of land, and there will be no chance for weeds. How- 

 ever small the lot some carrots should be grown, to be stored in the 



