California Farmer and Journal of Useful Sciences, Volume 10, Number 11, 15 October 1858 — Horseshoeing. [ARTICLE]

Horseshoeing.

There aro, unfortunately, few of tho persons engaged in the skillful art of horseshoeing possessed of a full knowledge or the delicate organization of the feet of horses, and their susceptibility to Injury by Improper parting of the hoof, formation of the shoea and attachment of the same. Horses are pecnliai ly sensitive to lameness, nnd it is obvious that great care in the particulars mentioned should he observed, in order that a linn, positive, and comfortable tread should be given the feet, so as to make them capable of exerting tbo wonderful degree of muscular strength of which they are possessed without injury to the exquisitely constructed parts whioh are brought into play. In the June number of the Dublin Agricultural Review, we find a long article written by Win. .Miles, extracted from the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of Loudon, and ns it is impossible, from its length, to insert it entire in one number of our paper, we have concluded to divide and publish it in detached portions. We heartily commend tbisable production to the perusal of those of our readers interested in this important subject. The 6rst portion commences as follows: If 1 were asked to account for my horses' legs and feet being in better order than those of my neighbors, I should attribute it to the four following circumstances: First, that they are all shod with few nails, so placed in the shoe as to permit the foot to expand every time tbey move ; that they all live in boxes instead of stalls, and can move whenever they please; thirdly, that they have two hours' daily walking exercise when they are not at work ; and fourthly, that I have not" a head-stall or rack chain in my stable. These four circumstances comprehend the whole mystery of keeping horses' legs One, and their feet ill sound working condition up to a good old age. All that is really required is to take one anatomical and one physiological fact on trust, anil believe that the horse's hoof is lined by a verysensitive membrane, which must on no account ever be wounded, and that the hoof itself is elastic, aud expands when the weight of the horse is thrown on the foot, and contracts when it is taken off again ; all the rest is purely mechanical, and merely calls for the exercise of a liule thought a-.:d patience to understand the principle aud apply it. The result of the numberless experiments I have made at various times, on all sorts of horses doing every kind of work, is. that there is but one principle to be observed in horse-shoeing, which will admit of no variation or compromise; the shoe must fit the foot, whatever the shape of the foot may happen to be, and it must be nailed to the hoof in such a manner as will permit the foot to expand 10 the weight of the horse; this latter condition will be best complied with by placing three nails in the outer limb of the shoe, and two in the inner limb between tbe toe anil the commencement of the inner quarter ; a larger number than live nails can never be requited in any shoe of any size, or under any circumstances, excepting lor the sole purpose of counteracting defective and clumsy lilting. No horse should have more than one foot bared at a time; however strong his feet may happen to be he is sure to stand quieter on a shod foot than he can on a bare one. and it will prevent his breaking the crust. A horse with weak Hat feet is in positive misery when forced to sustain his whole weight on a bare foot, while the opposite foot is held up. A strong foot with an arched sole, when the roads are in good order, will require to have the toe shortened, the quarters ami heels lowered, and the sole pared, until it will yield in some slight degree to very hard pressure from the thumb; but on no account .should it ever be pared thin enough to yield to moderate pressure; the angles formed by the crust, and the bars at ihe heel, must be cleared out. and all the dead born removed therefrom, and the hats.should be lowered nearly to a level with the sole. A weak flat foot, on the contrary, will bear no shortening of the toe, and very little paring or lowering anywhere; the heels of such feet are sure to be too low alrtady, and the sole too thin ; in fact, the less that is done to them the better beyond clearing out the dead horn from the angles at the heels, and making the crust bear evenly on the shoe ; but the hollow between the bars and the frog or the frog itself, must never be touched by a knife in any foot, whether it be a weak one or a strong one, and as these latter directions differ materially from the usual practice of smiths, I may. perhaps, be expected to state mv reasons for wishing to enforce them in opposition to what* they no doubt consider a time-honored custom; I mean the inveterate habit they all have of trimming the frog, anil opening out the heels at every shoeing; but I think I shall be able to show, that "it is a custom more honored iv the breach than in the observance." The toe should be neither too light, nor too narrow in the web ; light shoes are apt to bend before they are half worn out, and nnrrow-web-bed shoes expose the sole and frog to unnecessary injury from stones in the rood. Every fore-shoe should he more or less seated on the foot-surface, to prevent it pressing on and bruising the sole ; but a perfect flat surface should be preserved around the edge of the foot-surface of the shoe from heel lo heel for the crust to rest upon. The amount of seating to be employed must be determined by the description of foot to be shod ; for instance, a broad foot, with a flat sole and weak horn, will require a wide web, considerably 6eated, to prevent it coming in contact with the sole and bruising it; but a narrow foot with an arched sole and strong horn, will require less widlh of web and less seating, otherwise the dirt and girt of the road would become impacted between the shoe and the sole, and cause as much pressure and injury as the iron would have done. — [Scientific American.

Planting Locust Seed. —A correspondent of the Valley Farmer, wishing to he Informed as to the best method of preparing black locust seed, to cause them to vegetate readily, the editor replies; "The best treatment of locust seed, to insure speedy germination, is to gather the seed as soon as ripe in the fall, shell them, and pot them in a box of sand, keep the sand moist and expo led to the weather until spring, then sift the sand out and plant in April, about the usual time of pianting corn. When seed are not procured in time to adopt this method, take them at the proper time of planting, pour hot (not boiling) water on them ; let them stand iv the water in a warm place for several days, changing the water every second day, when some of the seed will become considerably swollen ; these should be picked o,i t and planted ; let the others remain in the water until the shell becomes soaked and the kernel swollen, and plant as before. With this treatment they will grow as readily as Indian corn. Plant first in nursery rows, putting the seed six inches apart, and the rows four feet, snd transplant the first or second spring following."