518 
ON THE UNILATERAL OR 
must do, the considerable number operated on by “ careful 
smiths, on the most approved principles,” at veterinary establish- 
ments, guiltless of the presence of veterinary surgeons, and “ vete- 
rinary forges,” the owners of which, eschewing the superfluity 
of letters, and scorning to be of the accommodating humour in 
Bombastes, “ long cut or short cut, ’tis all the same to me,” 
decidedly prefer short cut, as 1 noticed a few weeks ago splen- 
didly emblazoned in front of a forge in town ; but then over the 
entrances hung golden shoes so tempting that if horses were 
not taken there to be shod I much doubt if they would not 
go themselves — why this deduction may, like some other tails, 
very probably turn tail, and prove ultra-innovationists, strengthen 
the argument against the improved systems, and have the rough 
unwashed (and any of the washed ?) to laugh at the fallibility 
of human improvements. 
How is all this ? I apprehend it is to be traced to one of these 
two causes: first, the principle, when correct, has not been suf- 
ficiently carried out ; or, secondly, it has been attempted to be 
carried out by methods not within the compass of the generality 
of working smiths. I believe many plans have been brought 
before the public, the which, if their projectors could personally 
carry them into practice, would prove advantageous, but which 
require too much care and skill to be carried out by his workmen ; 
and this is a fact that should always be borne in mind, for we 
have no right to expect the skill which distinguishes the workers 
in gold and the workers in silver in the artificers employed 
in our forges : simplicity of detail is therefore an essential 
ingredient in any plan we may offer to improve the system of 
shoeing, and this is eminently the case with the unilateral method 
of nailing — any workman can carry it out, and therefore the 
public have been benefited by it. 
Valuable as this method is, however, it has not produced all 
the good which the principle on which it is founded is capable of 
producing ; and this I attribute to the first cause mentioned, 
namely, that principle not being fully carried out. I have now 
for some time gone one step farther. Instead of unilaterally nail- 
ing the common shoe, I use an unilateral shoe — precisely so far 
as the nails were carried round the inside quarter, so far l carry 
the shoe, letting it there terminate in a rounded bevelled edge. 
Now, I am not going to smother this extra step of mine in my 
own modesty, and bashfully disclaim, either for it or myself, any 
merit that may be due, but declare at once that I think it a most 
important step, — one that will overtake and conquer all corns, 
thrushes, sandcracks, contractions and navicular — no, I am not 
sure about navicular cases, and yet I have a good mind to throw 
