1881 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
321 
none should wear them over a month with¬ 
out removal; the owner must therefore see 
that the smith gets them at the proper time. 
Corns are often the result of leaving shoes 
on too long. An established corn is a very- 
troublesome thing, the treatment of which 
will necessitate the use of a bar shoe, to re¬ 
lieve the parts from pressure, by throwing it 
on the frog. The com should be well cut out 
and dressed daily with a mixture of 1 drachm 
Chloride of Zinc, 6 oz. Water, and 2 oz. Gly¬ 
cerine. The feet should be examined every 
night and the shoes tried to see if they are fast. 
In dry weather the fore feet of stabled and 
city horses should be slopped occasionally 
with clay and cow dung to cool and moisten 
them. It must not be done every night, or 
thrush or canker may be induced. 
A mixture of half a pound each of Pine 
Tar (not gas), Soft Soap, Soap Cerate, and 
Lard, well mixed together over a gentle fire, 
will be foimd useful in keeping moisture in 
the horn of the walls of the hoof, if ap¬ 
plied after they have been wet. 
The gentlemen of the long robe often in¬ 
sist on yes, or no, from a terrified witness, 
when either yes, or no, without qualification, 
or limit, would be equally false. This may be 
applied to the dispute as to the merits of 
clipping and singeing. It cannot be said they 
are useful or desirable in all cases, as their 
advocates make out, neither are they alto¬ 
gether abominable as other theorists endeavor 
to show. 
If a tolerably well-bred horse is put in the 
stable before cold weather sets in, is well 
groomed, and kept warm by clothing, his 
coat will be short enough for all purposes of 
utility and appearance. A horse that has 
been clipped does not coat as well in the 
spring as an unclipped one, and often is a 
shabby looking object. Clipping, once per¬ 
formed, the practice will have to be kept up 
in after years to secure a good appearance. 
A horse with a long, heavy coat, if made 
to exert himself, sweats readily, and it is im¬ 
possible to dry him when he returns to the 
stable. In the morning he will be almost as 
wet as when housed at night. This state 
cannot be otherwise than injurious, and is 
the frequent cause of colds and coughs. Re¬ 
moval of the coat will act almost like a 
charm to ease them. 
The machines now in use for clipping, re¬ 
move the coat much too closely and uniform¬ 
ly. The old-fashioned lamp did it better, as 
the extent of the operation could be varied on 
particular parts of the body. The heat from 
the lamp had a beneficial stimulating action 
upon the skin. 
If the service in which a horse is employed 
renders it necessary to keep him standing 
about out of doors, clipping should be 
avoided, unless the coat is excessive ; and if 
adopted the greatest care must be exercised 
in covering him when standing. 
For horses that go out of the stable straight 
to their work, and are immediately returned 
to it, when work is over, the removal of the 
coat is a boon and a great saving of labor 
in grooming. 
Many horses, particularly in the winter, 
will have long straggling hairs about the 
backs of the legs, and under the jaws, which 
give a very rough appearance. They should 
be trimmed, but do not go too closely on the 
heels, and a small lock at the fetlock looks 
well. It is an act of cruelty to cut the hair 
out of the ears, and the long hairs or feelers 
that grow about the eyes and nostrils, answer 
many useful purposes. 
Good grooming is essential for preserving 
a horse’s health and appearance. A fine coat 
and tender skin should not be touched with 
the currycomb, and be brushed very gently. 
If there are any urine or dimg stains, let 
them be washed, using a sponge deftly, so 
as not to extend the wet dirty place. By 
making this the first operation the wet spots 
have time to dry, while the other parts of the 
work are being done. 
If a curry-comb must be used, have the 
smoothest one that can be found, and use it 
but sparingly. In the hands of some men 
the curry-comb is a barbarous instrument of 
torture. Applied with a long, sweeping mo¬ 
tion, without regard to the shape of the body, 
or the evenness with which it is held, it will 
make a poor animal shrink and shiver. The 
skin is often seriously hurt by the angles of 
the comb, when carelessly and heavily 
handled. A short motion, back and forth, 
does the work more effectively, and humane¬ 
ly, than the severe application of the comb 
described. The horse will learn not to dislike 
it if he finds he is not hurt. 
In cleaning a horse commence at the head 
with the brush, having it in one hand, and 
the curry-comb in the other. Brush every 
part of the body and limbs thoroughly, lay¬ 
ing the hairs in their natural direction, and 
going through them to the skin. Remove 
dust from the brush by occasionally scraping 
it on the curry-comh. The brushing is to be 
followed by a good rubbing with- wisps, and 
the coat finally laid by the application of a 
cloth. A thorough cleaning of the head can¬ 
not be effected without removing the halter, 
and be careful not to hurt the eyes or other 
sensitive parts. The mane and tail have now 
to be combed. If the hairs are knotted, go 
through them, taking a small lock at a time, 
straightening and separating the whole. 
Whan once properly done, there will be but 
little trouble afterwards. Sometimes a very 
thick mane has to be turned over the neck 
to get at the underside. No two hairs are to 
be left sticking together. Some short ones 
may stick up obstinately on the wrong side. 
If so, damp them with a sponge and try to 
bring them into place with the brush. If 
very rebellious, they must be plaited, and a 
small bit of lead twisted in the ends to bring 
them right. 
Sometimes a horse with very abundant 
mane, will come up from grass with it hang¬ 
ing on both sides of the neck. Do not allow 
any knowing groom to cut it off from one 
side. If this is done it will soon present a 
bristly, unsightly appearance, that will take 
months of growth to cure. A little patience, 
careful combing, wetting, brushing, and per¬ 
haps plaiting and leading, of these thick 
manes, will soon bring them into place, and 
make a wonderful improvement in the horse’s 
appearance. A portion of the mane on the 
poll should be cut away to allow the bridle 
to sit snugly, and to prevent the formation 
of a bristly tuft. 
Having thus touched on the more salient 
points of horse keeping and management, it 
is but fair, in conclusion, to say, that many 
of the remarks must be taken as subject to 
limitation by circumstances that could not 
be noted in the small space available, and 
that many points of almost equal importance 
are necessarily omitted. 
A Home-Made Hay Gatherer. 
Mr. M. I. Shinn, Sedgwick Co., Kans., 
sends a sketch of a hay gatherer. It is used 
to take the hay to a stack after it has been 
raked up to a convenient place in the 
meadow. One horse attached to a rope at 
each end, and a boy to each horse can take 
the hay to the stack as fast as two men can 
put it up. About all the hay here is gathered 
in the same way. It is quickly done, and re¬ 
quires but little help ; two boys, two horses, 
and two men can put up more hay with one 
A HOME-MADE HAY GATHERER. 
of these “gatherers,” than six men can if 
they take it on wagons. 
The accompanying engraving shows the 
construction of the “ gatherer.” The hori¬ 
zontal pieces are 6 feet long with the front 
ends cut with an upward slant to prevent 
catching in the ground. The upright pieces 
are 3 feet long. The “ head piece” is made 
of two planks bolted together with the hori¬ 
zontal strips placed between them. 
A Salt Box with “Lick Board.” 
Mr. J. S. Ulrey, Wabash Co., Ind., writes: 
“Inclosed you will find the drawings of a 
self-feeding salt box. I think it has some 
advantages over any of the many I have 
seen described in the American Agriculturist , 
because it is more natural for stock to lick 
salt than to eat it. There is an open space of 
one inch for the salt to work out of the hop¬ 
per or box on the ‘ shoot board,’ thus fur¬ 
nishing a constant supply. The one I have is 
ten feet in length and holds about a / 3 of a 
A SALT BOX WITH “LICK BOARD.” 
barrel, so that it only needs filling once or 
twice a year. It is placed under the over¬ 
shoot of my barn, but by having a tight lid 
on the box it could be placed out of doors 
and the salt would be kept dry.” 
Seed Wlaeat.— As much depends upon 
the variety of grain sown, as upon the prep¬ 
aration of the soil for it, and the treatment 
which it receives after being placed in the 
soil. There are poor wheats and good wheats, 
