208 
K. KAY. 
once to severe means to accomplish this purpose, and keep the 
animal at work rather than laid up in the hospital undergoing 
some exhaustive experiment under the hands of the non-experi- 
enced person who happens to have charge of such stock. 
Selection. For this work the veterinarian should be quite 
familiar with the external form of the horse, as well as anatomical 
parts, and normal from abnormal, as well as pathological condi¬ 
tions that may exist. He will select an animal past six years old, 
that stands about fifteen and a half to sixteen hands high, and 
weighing about ten hundred and fifty pounds when in good working 
condition, color not so much of an object, though roan probably the 
most hardy. The anatomical features to be noticed are first, the 
face wide, the jaws well set apart and deep, tapering towards 
the nose, but terminating with well dilated nostrils ; the ears open, 
well forward and not too long; the throat clean cut and light at 
the junction with the head ; the neck deeply set from the shoul¬ 
ders and arching from the withers ; the back not too long; the 
hips wide; the ribs set well out and rounded ; the fore legs set 
well apart, with long bones well developed at each extremity ; 
good sized carpus and fetlock joint; the metacarpus flat and little 
connective tissue ; the phalanges obliquely set and springy, to 
lessen the jar while traveling over the stone-paved streets ; the 
foot with deep wall and almost circular toe, and wide set heel, 
sole evenly concave; the hind legs with long thigh and muscles 
well developed; the back not too crooked, well developed, but 
flat; the metatarsal bone fiat and clean. In the common class of 
horses that are sent to this city for railroad work, we find many 
of them with coarse hocks, due to excess of development of the 
cuneiform bone. These we should not call spavin, nor reject them, 
as they will stand rough work better than others more finely de¬ 
veloped. I know it would be impossible to select the number of 
animals to fill the vacancies caused by deaths on the several roads 
of this city, following the standard I have given, but I think we 
should act as teachers, through our Government, and show the 
people who raise this poor stock that well formed animals can be 
raised at the same cost price. This could only be accomplished 
by our Government selecting a well fitted man to visit these 
