Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1881-01-21
Should Horses be Shods

The question of shoeing horses is dis
cussed at length in Frasey's MAGAZINE
for December The writer thinks that
horses are now worn out at least fourteen
years before they ought to be, aud that
in this the United Kingdom loses $675,-
DOC, 1000 every twenty-one years Differ
ent causes for the injury of horses are
mentioned. but the writer thinks that
abuses Of their feet are the most serious.
and he asks
'lf the working of the Evolutionary
system leaves the horse wreck almost
before be has reached his prime, if the
lessening of the weight of iron and of
the number Of nails used in fixing the
iron has been followed by direct and i'm
portant benefits in every instance, if even
those who hold that horse must be shod
have discovered that that which they look
on as a protection to the fore feet is mere
ly harmful to the hind feet, is it possible
TO stific the suspicion that this insignifi-
cant remnant OF system so fruitful in
mischief may have no magic power, and
in short, that the horse may do lust ms
well without them?" In his reply to
this he says:
'The plain truth is the differences in
the quality of the soil, be it hard or soft
stony or sandy, smooth and slippery, are
Of comparatively little Importance to the
horse whose feet are as nature made
them In the words of Free Lance.
the unshod horse can successfully deal
with all roads; and assuredly no one will
dream of asserting that shod horses can
do this, for on the setting in of frost, for
instance, they cannot be worked until
certain ceremonies, shall have been gone
through at the blacksmith's forge. The
unshod horse can tread firmly on the
slime of wood pavement when shod horses
are slipping and struggling in agony
around them he eau gallop on ice, and
trot for miles together ON the hardest and
toughest flint roads, with far more ease
and comfort than horses whose feet are
shod with iron or even with gutta-pcrcba.
Free Lance rightly remarks that if
they could not there would be an end of
the the thing, for evidently the horse
should be able to 60 anywhere and ev-
erywhere. and at a moments notice. IL
seems hard to produce the conviction that
the natural sole Of the horses foot is
almost impenetrable, that it is SO hard
and strong rs to protect the sensible sole
from all harm, and that all feet exposed
to hard objects are made harder by the
contact, provided only that the sole is
never pared. This adequacy of the
horses foot to all demands that may be
made upon it is torcibly illustrated by
Mr.. Bracy Clark. who, like Mr.. Doug
lass and Mr.. Mayhem, coutented himself
with striving to produce a perfect shoe,
although he acknowledged that if we wish
to appreciate the full beauty of its struc-
ture, we must dismiss from our views
the miserable. coerccd, shod foot entirely
and consider the animal in pure state
4. nature using his foot without any de-
.utaee.' Probably Mr.. Clark thought that.
omge 4. we may consider it in its natural
D; exceps can ever 50 behold il. as all
"a s, mus ivilized countries are in greater
YORK e. onte brought under artificial
more il is just The plea is fallacious. The
e cost Of inspectlY intended by nature to
70 CINCINNATI va 'Sticatcd animal, and so
n "a ree 'U y,on 1,I Interfere with the pro-
lnnieTs. but 10 buyers ny part Of its hody
thus find the cost OF Il OF bearing reins
y bogshead Of tobacco ses interfere with
e 4, year Is s1o TO 81. whii On fatally we
IN In favor Of the old Domocr. "hich " was
OF local self-goverment am in .noounter.
anting local self-goyerment 10 all whose
!, and 10 all sections of States hayin.,s are
lar local Interests, ] think that all -.
touching the inspection and storing of ou-
'hanoo should be len entirely 90 fhe 20. NY
growing counties. ac.
laiever my admiration for Mr.. Eyafts MOTIF
lhe L. > Consul e Bremen, and for ,herel
linen generally, still there d one thing slisii
believe even they cannot do they ment
II ieglslate as intelligently for the 10. Ieg,s
growing counties Of Maryland rs we le,so,
q ourselves. am told that the wloeof mn Z,
IN Maryland Is sold In favor OF free Th,s
uon. ] nave a great admiration for sllgl,,
ends Of Weston Maryland. admire oG III
ind0mitablc energy, their rich friends iny q
lclr big red barns, but still there Is one lnous
which even they cannot do. they can. lhe !
ylslate a. intelligently for the tobacco. recird
- u Maryland as We can for ourselves: Erst !.
for the reason that we understand our lioa ,
usiness beet auKoi