FAR 
shake off the farina, or lightly brush it off 
with a soft hair-pencil, upon a piece of 
white paper ; then take a single talc of 
isinglass between the nippers, and, breath- 
ing on it, apply it instantly to the farina, 
and the moisture of the breath will make 
that light powder stick to it. If too great 
a quantity is found adhering to the talc, 
blow a little of it off; and if there is too 
little, breathe upon it again, and take up 
more. When this is done, put the talc into 
the'hole of a slider, and applying it to the 
microscope, see whether the little grains 
are laid as you desire, and if they are, 
cover them up with another talc, and fix 
the ring, but care must be taken that the 
talcs do not press upon the farina in such a 
manner as to alter the form. 
FARM. See Agriculture. 
FARRIER, is the designation of the 
smith who devotes his attention chiefly to 
shoeing horses, and to curing them of all 
kinds of diseases. Perhaps it would be 
difficult to quote any profession which 
could competite with this in self-sufficiency 
and ignorance ; nor would it be easy to 
estimate the damage done by this tribe, 
who, having a technical jargon peculiarly 
appropriated to their presumptuous quack- 
ery, continue to deceive a large portion of 
the community, and generally hold a very 
improper intercourse with grooms, &c. 
whence not only expensive jobs' are unne- 
cessarily created, but the constitutions of 
the unfortunate animals which are com- 
mitted to their cafe, are often very seriously 
injured. We trust that what we shall 
sfate relating to the succeeding article, will 
contribute to remove the deception, and to 
enable every person to form some judgment 
of the ailings to which horses are subject. 
The term farrier is derived from the French 
word fernere, which relates particularly to 
the bag of implements used by the marechal, 
or person who confines his operations to 
this branch of smithery. 
FARRIERY, as may be seen in the pre- x 
ceding article, originally implied nothing 
more than the art of applying iron, or 
other substances, to the feet of horses, 
whereby to defend them from the injuries 
to which they are subject in travelling on 
hard surfaces. It was probably owing to 
the opportunities afforded to the smiths, 
while shoeing horses, of observing the vari- 
ous diseases of the loot, and consequently 
oif haranguing on the subject, that they, in 
time, acquired an undue reputation for per- 
fect ability in not only that particular, but 
far 
for a general knowledge of whatever re- 
lated to the animal at large. It will not 
surprise us to find persons so ignorant, as 
our forefathers of yore were, yielding thus 
implicitly to the presumptuous claims of the 
farrier ; indeed, when we consider how lit- 
tle was known of the art of medicine, and 
of the very structure of the human frame, 
it must appear that no other alternative pre- 
sented itself. But we cannot look back to 
later dates without feeling both astonished 
and ashamed at the indifference, indeed the 
inhumanity, with which that most useful 
animal, the horse, has been so long treated. 
Happily, however, in these days of im- 
provement, when science has in so many 
instances removed the mists which clouded 
the vision of our ancestors, and has propor- 
tionally enlarged our ideas, the eye of re- 
search has been turned towards the sufferings 
of the brute creation, and a new profession 
has sprung up, which not only adds to our 
stock of medical information, but, while it 1 
removes that imputation of cruelty, which 
had too long stained the character of an en- 
lightened age, promises to reward our kind- 
ness and assiduity, with the most liberal 
remuneration. In this we allude to the 
establishment of a Veterinary College, 
where, under the auspices of the most dis- 
tinguished and public-spirited characters, 
the whole art of medicine and of surgery, 
so far as they relate to horses, &c. together 
with the true principles of shoeing, and of 
treating horses while in a state of disease 
and of health, are publicly taught by a sur- 
geon, who has made them his study, and 
who has the designation of Professor of the 
Veterinary Art. 
Such an establishment, which was not 
novel on the Continent, was truly a deside- 
ratum ; like most of our important improve- 
ments, it was first proposed and acted upon 
by a foreigner, Monsieur St. Bel, w'ho, in 
the year 1788, came over from France, and 
observing the lamentable want of veterinary 
knowledge, published proposals for the 
establishment of a college. The matter 
was not, however, noticed until the Agricul- 
tural Society of Odiham, in Hants, seeing 
the vast benefit which must inevitably re- 
sult from such an institution, agreed to 
support Monsieur St. Bel. He was accord- 
ingly nominated to the professorship, under 
the patronage of many eminent characters. 
The Duke of Northumberland was elected 
president; and the list of vice-presidents 
was graced with the names of Earls Grosve- 
nor, Morton, Oxford, and Rivers, Sir 
