ON SHOEING HOUSES. 
557 
The great Caliph has said before, “that if you would save this 
variety of the horse you must preserve the crust;” and he confirms 
this by the following :—“ The remedies arise out of the physiology. 
We can increase the growth of crust by blistering the coronet, 
although we cannot do much to the crust, we can to the sole. To 
give strength both to the sole and crust, these cannot be kept too 
dry; indeed, we may say, we should like to employ all the means 
that would produce contraction. We also take oflf the shoes, and 
let the horse stand on pavement without. Applying hot iron to 
the soles is a great improvement in practice, and this does away 
with the vulgar prejudice that the hot shoe, as sometimes applied 
for a few moments by the shoeing-smith, is hurtful; afterwards a 
mixture of warm pitch and tar, varying the proportions according 
to the season; this produces a little inflammation and growth of 
horn; then apply tow, which gives pressure, but not so violent as 
standing without it on the flat stones; thus you will relieve the 
horse, but not produce radical cure.” 
Well, mates; I do not know what you may think after hearing 
this, but the result is so unfortunate, while the fault, you see, is so 
decidedly ours, that the best way of getting over the difficulty into 
which you have got, or rather into which Caliph Gloag has forced 
you by his screwing propensities (the prophet confound him!), while 
you are yet in the vice, is to follow master’s example—lay hold of 
the physiology. 
The mode of restoring the spring is of little utility. By ordinary 
shoeing you bring horses of this variety into a similar predicament 
to flies, in the humane manner they now have of bogging them on 
a sheet of varnished paper. Mr. Editor quoted steeple-chasing 
from The Times; but, after this cruelty of yours and the fly¬ 
catchers, sportsmen may go without any admonition from his wor¬ 
ship. As I told you, it will out; while the fly-paper is going 
round one side of Smithfield, the veterinarian on the other side is 
shewing, on a sheet of paper only, how you have been bogging 
horses like flies, hopelessly lingering and struggling to die. The 
great Caliph goes on :— 
“We are in a dilemma;”—there you are now, my mates, when, 
as he told you, you might have kept yourselves out of it had you 
availed yourselves of the physiology, as I have stated it in his own 
words. You could-. But we did not know, and never should 
have known how to do this, we were knowing enough in our own 
way. Yes; but you see, mates, that is not sufficient. How do 
you know Caliph Gloag does not belong to the Society for the 
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals'? This variety of horses are run 
from necessity, not for sport. You brought them to stand on pitch 
and tar; “ their throats are cut also .” 
VOL. XXII. 4 E 
