NOVELTIES IN SHOEING. 
629 
one to his trade,” for bot h proposals emanated from non-professional 
men. I may also be allowed to make a few observations on a 
third novelty, namely, a shoe to prevent slipping, the ever-sought 
but not hitherto-perfectly-found desideratum. 
I shall take them in the order in which they presented them- 
selves to my notice. 
About sixteen months since, two gentlemen, evidently not 
“ horse men,” called on me, seeking for information, which I gave 
them, as far as lay in my power : from their mysterious manner, 
1 suspected that something new was on the tapis. A few days 
after they again called, and the object became manifest; — it cer- 
tainly was a novel and ingenious plan, and in theory very plau- 
sible : it was no less than the making an entire revolution in the 
present system of affixing the shoe to the horse’s foot. Instead of, 
as now, by nails, it was to be, as they fondly imagined, by SCREWS; 
but, in addition, every shoe was to have placed between it and 
the foot a rim or ring of Indian-rubber, which was then just pre- 
pared, and as yet hardly brought into notice. Several interviews 
took place, partly to gain information, and partly, it was evident, 
to draw into a copartnership : this was, however, quite out of the 
question ; their ideas — for as yet they only existed as such — were, 
as soon as possible, to be registered, and brought into operation. 
I took every pains to explain to the parties that a failure must 
be the inevitable result ; for though it was perfectly true that to 
many feet shoes might with safety, nay with ease, be fixed with 
screws, yet there were obstacles which were insurmountable in 
the practically working it out. There was, first, to be considered 
the extra expense of making the shoes with proper countersunk 
holes to receive the screws, which could not be done without ma- 
chinery ; secondly, the greater expense of screws over nails ; the 
having all the machinery for both these purposes, together with 
the requisite tools, got into a working condition ; and lastly, and 
the most important of all, and which is the insurmountable obsta- 
cle, the removing the shoes when worn out, as, when the shoes 
are in this state, the heads of the screws would be so worn and 
battered, and the grit would have so worked into the small space 
between the head of the screw and the hole in which it must have 
sufficient space to be turned, that these would cause irregularities, 
and would act as so many dovetails to prevent the returning the 
screw out of its position, and the shoe could only be removed by 
force, and, as a matter of course, bringing with it the outer wall 
of the crust; but, like all men who have a hobby, the projectors 
could not be persuaded that they were only throwing away their 
money. 
A few months passed, and I heard nothing of the parties, and 
