506 
Supplement  to  the  '•  Trojtical  Agrimdturifit  ” [Jan.  1,  1896, 
ground.  Tho  .symptoms  are  great  pain  in  llie 
lore  feet,  and  a continual  eiulea\'our  to  get  tlie 
weight  off  tlie  fore  feet,  wliicli  are  thriest  forward. 
Cause. — Concussion  ; galloping  on  a hard  road. — 
Sling  the  hor.se,  if  possible,  to  stable 
beams  with  ropes  to  take  the  weight  oft’  the  fore 
feet,  placing  a rug  under  the  body  ; or  use  a pair 
of  cart  shafts.  Remove  .shoes  by  soaking  its  feet 
in  hot  water;  and  if  necessary  send  for  a vet. 
ScouK. — This  disease  is  very  common  in  foals, 
and  serious  if  it  lasts  more  than  a few  days.  If 
scour  continues,  attend  to  the  feeding  of  the 
mare  with  care,  and  give  the  foal  two  tablespoon- 
fuls, from  time  to  time,  of  2 oz.  of  camphor  dis- 
solved in  2 oz.  of  spirits  of  wine  diluted  in  about 
half  a pint  of  water.  With  this  simple  remedy  1 
have  saved  the  life  of  a foal  almost  reduced  to  its 
last  gasp. 
Broken  Knees.  — Treatment. — Keep  the  wound 
clean,  and  bathe  constantly  every  hour  with 
arnica  lotion.  If  badly  broken,  send  for  a vet- 
Sore  Withers  and  Back. — Treatment. — Com- 
plete rest  till  quite  healed  and  sound  is  the  only 
way.  When  there  is  an  abscess  or  ftstulous  ten- 
dency, send  for  a vet. 
Brushing  Behind. — This  is  generally  due  to 
weakness.  Young  horses  very  often  grow  out  of 
it.  Treatment. — On  the  first  symptom.^,  before 
the  skin  on  the  fetlocks  is  injured,  put  on  a cloth 
boot  tied  about  the  joint  so  that  it  falls  over  the 
joint,  and  see  that  the  hind  shoos  are  slightly 
w'ithin  the  hoof  on  the  inside,  so  that  they  cannot 
cut. 
Brushing  IN  Front  or  Speedy  Cut. — Treat- 
ment.— ’If  a habit,  sell  as  soon  as  possible 
Thrush. — The  symptoms  of  common  thrush 
are  soft  or  rotten  condition  of  the  frog,  with  a 
fetid  discharge  fiom  the  ckd't,  which  cleft  is  absent, 
or  nearly  so,  in  the  healthy  foot.  Cause — Due  to 
contracted  feet,  or  standing  on  rotten  litttu-. 
Treatment. — Careful  shoeing  and  paring  of  rotten 
parts;  constant  wnishing  and  attention  to  litter; 
and  a temporary  introduction  of  Stockholm  tow 
and  tar  into  the  cleft,  w ith  or  w'ithout  one  part 
to  ten  of  sulphate  of  cojiper.  The  cleft  which 
appears  with  tiirush  will  e.vtend  if  neglected. 
To  avoid  thrush,  the  litter  in  the  stable  should  be 
kept  dry  and  clean.  If  it  is  desirable  to  save 
straw,  great  economy  may  be  practised  by  the 
use  of  sawdust,  which  can  generally  be  obtained 
at  a nominal  price.  When  this  is  spread  thickly, 
all  droppings  removed  daily,  and  the  sawdust 
raked  over  every  morning,  it  forms  a clean,  whole- 
some, and  cheap  substitute  for  strawq  and  does  not 
require  renewing  for  w'eeks.  Sawdust  manure 
is  good  for  all  soils  on  arable  lands  and  can  be 
applied  conveniently  for  top-dressing,  or  ploughed 
in  with  any  crop,  so  tliat  farmers  who  reiinire 
their  straw  may  use  sawdust  without  hesitation. 
Tan  and  sawdust  mixed  also  make  an  excellent  bed. 
Acute  Thrush. — Cause. — “Stopping”  the  feet 
with  cow'dung,  clay,  and  other  beastliness,  is  often 
the  cause  of  thrush.  — Fomentations, 
jioultices,  antiseptic  lotions,  mashes,  green  food, 
constant  washing  of  the  feet. 
Splints. — — Bony  deiiosits  that  come 
from  or  are  the  results  of  blows,  accidents,  or 
concussion  on  the  foreleg  below  tlie  knee,  also 
liereditary  in  tendency;  and  are  the  cause  of 
lameness  or  not,  according  to  their  situation.  If 
situated  near  a tendon  or  the  knee  joint,  a splint 
may  bo  serious.  A small  splint  often  gives  more 
jiain  while  growing  than  when  formed.  'I  rent - 
mvnt.  Rest  and  cold  watt*r.  11  there  is  heal  and 
inflammation,  fomentations  and  jioultices.  If  tlie 
.splint  does  not  yield  to  this  treatment,  blister.  In 
bad  cases  the  splint  can  be  removed  by  a surgical 
operation. 
Ringbone  and  .Sidebune. — The  following  are 
tho  symjitoms  of  this  disease  A filling  or  rising 
of  the  hoof;  inability  to  flex  the  jiastern  joint. 
Cause. — Heredity.  Treatment. — I’oultice  : rub  in 
iodide  of  lead  ointment. 
A . E.  Pease. 
ASTRl  N G ENT  B All  KS. 
We  publish  below'  a statement,  which  may  be 
found  of  use  to  many  reader.^,  of  barks  used  in 
tanning,  analy.sed  by  the  Madras  Government 
(piinologist,  Mr.  David  Hooper.  Some  mentioned 
in  the  list  are  now  used,  and  others  not  at  jiresent 
used  have  been  tested  with  a view  to  their 
jirobable  future  application.  A tan  bark  should 
have  two  natural  projierties.  In  the  first  place  it 
should  contain  a tannic  acid,  or  modification  of 
that  substance,  giving  a greenish  coloration  or 
precipitate  with  salts  of  iron;  and  to  make  it 
commercially  valuable  it  should  contain  a large 
(juantity  of  tannic  acid.  The  Australian  acacias 
and  eucalypti  are  said  to  afford  barks  containing 
a large  percentage  of  tannic  extract,  and  are 
consequently  greatly  esteemed  by  tanners.  The 
barks  of  the  Indian  acacias  are  also  largely  used 
for  tanning  purposes,  atid  a few  cassia  barks  are 
also  used  similarly,  while  a few  have  a reputation 
for  dyeing.  The  investigation  of  other  astringent 
sul)stances  show's  that  India  is  not  limited  to  a 
few'  drugs  of  their  descrij)tiou,  and  the  list  given 
below  might  easily  be  extended. 
The  best  bark  is  that  of  the  4,no(jeis.sus  latifolia, 
which  is  closely  followed  by  the  guava  bark  and 
the  hill  guava  l)ark.  The  eugenias  and  the  guavas 
belong  to  the  same  natural  ordr-r,  and  their  barks 
comj)are  very  favourably  with  the  eucalyjjtus 
barks.  The  table  appended  gives  the  amount  of 
pure  tannin  in  each  bark,  the  amount  of  extract 
obtained  by  exhausting  the  jrowder  w'ith  hot 
w'ater  and  eva])orating  to  dryne.ss,  the  amount  of 
ash  or  mineral  matter  left  on  incineration,  and  the 
color  reaction  the  decoctions  of  the  barks  afford 
with  iron  salts.  The  bark  of  the  Anoffeissus 
latifolia  has  hitherto  been  supjiosed  to  be  one  of  the 
most  astringent;  but  recently  there  has  been 
found  a bark  much  richer  in  tannin  and  obtained 
from  the  Jiiudelia  montana,  which  belongs  to  the 
Euphorbiacete  order,  and  is  common  on  the  ghats 
of  the  Nilgiris  and  also  in  other  ])arts  of  India. 
It  is  w'ell  known  as  a most  valuable  astringent  in 
Wedern  India  and  is  used  by  tho  Goanese  in 
certain  diseases. 
It  seems  strange  that  the  tanners  of  this 
country  do  not  seek  drugs  very  rich  in  tannin, for 
they  jirincipally  use  the  bark  of  the  Cassia 
aurieulata,  which  contains  only  eleven  j)er  cent  of 
tannin.  The  l)aik  of  the  Casuarina  is  used  in 
Jladras  both  for  dyeing  and  tanning  j)urj)oses,  and 
the  Myrica  Nagi  bark  is  u.sed  i>y  .Mahomedans  and 
Hindoos  in  medicines  where  astringents  are 
required.  The  Australian  acacias  or  wattle,  in- 
troduced many  years  ago  on  the  Nilgiris,  liave 
fi-mly  established  themselves  and  are  a .source  of 
annoyance  in  the  towns.  Yet  nothing  is  done  to 
