The Portland daily press., 1877-06-19
THE PRESS.
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Care of Horses, Feet.


When the foot is gone, there is no horse
left. There is an old adage to this effect, the
truth of which Is incontrovertible. Yet no
part of a hors ELS anatomy is worse used than
the foot. and there are no more frequent dis
eases to which the notice of the veterinary
surgeon is brought than those of the feet.
This comes of the unwise yet obstinately
maintained fashion of raspng, cutting, burn
ing, tarring, and greasing the hoofs. 1t
would occupy too much space here to des-
crbe the anatomy of the foot fully, but it is a
very timely matter just now to consider the
structure of the horny outer covering or crust
OF the foot, by which the delicate inner parts
are protected.
Horn is fbrous substance, which con-
tains twenty-five per cent of water, The fact
that it contains water in its normal compost
ton is very important one, and needs to be
stated here, because, unless specified reasons
are given, very little weight is generally ac-
corded to all that may DE written or said
about the proper treatment of the horses
foot, by either horse owners, farmers, black
smiths, or professional horseshoers. When
horn is deprived of water it become dry, hard
and without elasticity, precisely like piece
of dry glue, which breaks and splinters into
CLASSY fragments. 1t is necessary, therefore,
that this water should be retained, to keep
the horn in good condition. The common
practices of burning the sole to procure fit
for the shoe, or raspipg the outer surface to
get good shape, and of tarring and greasing
the hoof, all tend to drive the water out of
the horn, and not only harden and contract
it but make it brittle. In this condition
its usefulness as protection for the foot is
at once impaired and partially destroyed.
When the sole is burned by contract with
shoe, it is obvious that the water in the por-
ton of the horn that is heated must be driven
of. That is so obvious that no more need be
said about it. When the smooth, polished,
hard surface of the horn is rasped away, the
softer inner dbrous portion is exposed to all
the evil influences of evaporation and degrad-
alton, and the numberless pores and cells or
interstices of the horn are enabled to give up
the water they contain. The horn in this
case is also made dry and brittle, and, of
course, contracts. Tar contains an acid and
a volatile oil, which evaporates and leaves a
hardened pitchy mass. When tar is applied
to hoof the acid acts chemically upon the
horn, and hardens or disintegrates it, and the
oil, evaporating, leaves space between the
fibers filled with the hardened residue. 1t
operates precisely in the same manner as
when it is applied to leather-as sole of
shoe, for instance-as a preventative: The
leather in few days becoming hard and un-
yielding, impervious to moisture, and dry.
As with tar, SO with grease, both these sub
stances drive out the water from the horn
and occupy its place, in time hardening and
acidifyng the substance of the hoof crust,
rendering it brittle, and contracting it.
The substance OF the frog is horn, but is OF
a softer and more open texture than the sole
and crust of the hoof 1t is, therefore, more
easily affected by injurious conditions, and
when it becomes deprived of its water it
shrinks more than the more solid horn.
From this explanation of the character of the
horny cover ing of the foot any reasonable
horse owner may learn how to treat the boot,
and how 10 avoid iDjuring it. When the
shoe is to be fitted, the edge or wall sole
should be prepared by cutting or rasping, and
not by burning. Indeed the shoe should be
fitted to the foot, and not the foot to the
shoe. When, from bad management, the
sole and frog have become dry and contract
ed, no grease or tar should be used; but
water should be used freely, and then the
boot should be dressed with glycerine which
will mix with water, and does not displace it.
Glycerine contains no acid or acrid properties,
but is soft, bland, emOllient, and does not
evaporate. 1t therefore sottens the horn,
and allows the fbers to expand. Contract
ing is thus prevented, or overcome when it
has actually accurred.-N. 2. Times.