The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-09-05

Prof. Young, in the Spirit of the
Times, in giving instructions as to the
way Of telling Il horses age, says:
Teeth, are az IL rule, of an irregular,
cone-likc shape, the base being toward
the Interior OF the mouth, the superior
portions being placed exterior to the
interior, instead Of perpendlcularly, us
they would appear to the casual
observer. The gum is the dividing
line; that portion Immediately ia
contact with the upper portion of the
gum, and Immediately above and below
1T, N called the celyix, or neck, the fangs
or roots, being imbedded in the avelona,
or sockets, of the superior and inferior
maxiIliaries respectively. The %incisors
are situated in the front OF the mouth,
and ~ they arc the ones we will have
most to say about, we will give a
description of them, and afterwards
direct special attention to the changes
that take place in them as the animal
advances in age.
Ieethare considered to be active agents
in masticati0n. Their mode of devotion.
meht IL tho same in all our domesticated
animals. Those placed together in front
at the middle Of the denial arch. are
called the i%ncisors, or melting teeth {;
those situated behind these 1.-TWO in the
superior and two in the inferior maxil-
nary are denOminated canine teeth or
%tuSies, those which occupy the more
concealed portions of the mouth are
called m0iar or grinders. A horse has
forty teeth, composed of twelve incisors,
ioAr tnShed and t%wenly-iour mOlars ;
the mare has corresponding teeth,
except the tushes, which are in the
female almost invariably absent, hence
She has only thirty.six. All teeth are
composed essentially of enamel, dentine
ana crusto petrose. A curious but
remarkable fact presents itself respecting
the growth Of horses teeth, which il not
common to other animals, namely, that
the teeth Are growing continually from
thtir development to the animals death,
They are forced up from their sockets
to supply the material removed by at,
tritlon. Iu'hes are never shed; thew
make their appearance between the.
ANIMALS four and a half and fifth wear
hence, II they are just protrudinr, we
know, without any conirmatory evi.
dencs, The horses age. Either at birth
or ilom one to four days aiterward, the
colt has four mix teeth called the cen
tral4.
me lateral teeth appear between four
and Fix weeks after birth, the corner
teeth about the eighth month. The
centrals, or those which first make their
appearance, are shed between two and a
haIf and three years; the laterals are shed
between three and a half and four year,.
the corner teeth between four and a hall
ana i've. About this time, or n little
before the tusbes are full grown, the
animal Is said, in horseman's phraseolo-
gy, to have a full mouth.
We come now to the important part of
the subject, where an animals age Ia
determined by the appearance of the
plicK SPOT, or, more correctly, the in.
The infundibulum or black
MARKS are wOrn out Of the superior or
smooth surface of the lower law Mt six
years old and that of the lateral ara
"'mnltnciag to disappear and is com.
pae'eu a. the seventh yea; thus. at tbi,
aso we hhd tho wearing surfices of both
Jntrai inc lateral ~inferier teeth begin 10
and have entirely disappeared
oh% she animal becomes eieht wears
olu; Inc horse is now considered "sSed
anu no conscientious veterinary susoso ,
y, nolseman would positively assert The ,
nIa Hl ; age, approximately. some neo. /
pIu aver they can determine he eToo,
"sooy siigns other ttsn the teeth hut
s"cn indications are unreliable.
v,s as.he shlmal advances in age his teeth
GRADUALLY grow long, and appear IN hs'
come more horizontal. The mouth
winch at five years old was c@up-shansd
now io'es this appearance and became,
e'ongsted. The teeth which were in the
age last mentioned nearly perpendicular
are now slanting; and this process an.
pears with advancing age. As horse
becomes old the month l0sfs its original