lOO 
[March, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
IN THE ICE ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN •aion and Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
stroyed, it no longer serves its purpose. The 
application of a red-hot shoe to this crust has 
exactly this effect. The oily, elastic, living sub¬ 
stance becomes charred, contracted, dry, dead 
matter. Its presence is a source of irritation to 
the neighboring living matter, and its changed 
condition renders it a source of annoyance, 
pain, and injury to the animal. The hoof is 
rendered brittle, its expansion is prevented, 
permanent contraction is effected, and if the 
system be persevered in, the horse will soon be¬ 
come entirely useless. If the skin of the palm 
of the hand be seared by the application of a 
hot iron, an idea of the.effect of applying red- 
hot shoes to the horses’ feet may be partly real¬ 
ized. It, is absolutely unnecessary as well. A 
good workman will make a good shoe, and will 
fit it evenly and neatly with a proper bearing, 
by the use of tools alone, and without healing 
it. A poor workman may undoubtedly find it 
easier to fit a hot shoe and burn (fuse) the crust 
of the hoof, but we would caution all owners of 
horses not to intrust their animals to such 
workmen, and advise the Boston Society to 
withdraw its worse than useless publication. 
Accidents on the Ice. 
As the power of the sun increases with the 
advent of spring, the ice upon the lakes and 
rivers weakens, and traveling upon it becomes 
dangerous. In the northern portions of the 
country it is not an uncommon occurrence at 
this season of the year for horses to be lost in 
rivers and lakes through air-holes or weak spots 
in the ice. When such an accident occurs, 
presence of mind and deliberation, together 
with a knowledge of “how to do it,” generally 
enable the driver to extricate his horse or team. 
Under such circumstances, the animal by the 
exorcise of his instinct knows whether his at¬ 
tendant is self-possessed or not, and if he is 
taken by the head, in most cases surrenders 
himself at once quietly to the treatment under¬ 
taken until encouraged to help himself, when 
he will do so successfully. The first thing to 
do is to take hold of the horse’s head, while an¬ 
other man cuts loose the sleigh and draws that 
out of the way. Then let a slip-knot be made 
on the end of one of the reins and passed over 
the horse’s head, and drawn tight around his 
neck and held firmly. Then a buffalo robe or 
blanket being spread on the ice, the second man 
should pass the end of the other rein or a rope 
around the animal’s knees, and by this means 
pull them up on to the ice. Then both men 
pulling together, aided by the efforts of the 
horse, will land the animal upon the solid ice. 
There should be no hurry, but jmt everything 
should be done promptly and quickly. “ The 
most haste the least speed” is generally true in 
these cases, and to know exactly what to do 
first and next is the chief thing. When a rope 
is drawn tightly around an animal’s throat, so 
as to interfere somewhat with its breathing, its 
lungs become filled with air, and the buoyancy 
of its body becomes increased. Our artist in 
the above engraving has shown the method of 
procedure here described. In some cases we 
have known a horse left somewhat to himself 
in driving to avoid unsound places and cracks 
on the ice which otherwise his driver woudd 
have forced him into. It is not unwise to per¬ 
mit a steady horse to have a good deal of his own 
way when on the ice, and also to drive slowly 
when in places where there may be danger. 
