202 SERIOUS LOSS or SHEEP from castration. 
shod at my forge with shoes exactly like those in every 
particular nearly twenty-five years ago, but their use has 
been discontinued for some years past. There are several 
objections to them. They are more difficult to be kept on 
than ordinary shoes, even if the feet are good and strong; 
and for weak or shelly feet, they are very unsuitable; for with 
many such feet the nails cannot be so placed as to give them 
a chance of staying on; there is also a much greater tendency 
to break away the crust at the quarters than with an ordi¬ 
nary shoe. Finding it difficult to keep them on, we drew an 
extra clip from the inside of each half shoe at the heels, so 
as to come down over the bars in the commissures of the 
foot, by which means we found they stayed on much longer. 
But after giving them a fair trial on the horses of different 
gentlemen as hacks and harness horses, they were found not 
to answer as well as the ordinary shoe. 
I inclose the names and addresses of a few of the gentle¬ 
men who gave the shoe a fair trial at the time above stated, 
and any person wishing to refer to either of them is at liberty 
to do so,— John Bailward, Esq., Manor House, Har- 
sington, Wincanton; W. McAdam, Esq., Victoria Park, 
Bath ; and Messrs. Haddy, Job-masters, Bath. 
Facts and Observations. 
SERIOUS LOSS OE SHEEP EROM CASTRATION. 
A veterinary surgeon, of extensive country practice, has 
informed us that in the early part of December of last year, 
before the setting in of the intense cold weather which 
marked the close of the month, he was called upon to castrate 
forty-three young sheep—hoggets—and that he performed 
the operation in the same manner as he had ever been accus¬ 
tomed to do, and without any noticeable accompaniment. 
On the following morning, the shepherd found two of the 
animals dead and others severely ill, in consequence of wh.ich 
his attendance was again sought, and before his arrival in 
the afternoon twelve more had died. On instituting a post¬ 
mortem examination, he found that death had resulted from 
sphacelitic inflammation, wffiich had commenced in the sper¬ 
matic cord, and extended from it to the contiguous parts, 
and also into the abdominal cavity. 
