J. RUSSELL MANNING, M. D., V. S. ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR : AND : LIVE-STOCK ENCYCLOPEDIA, : INCLI'I)IX(; : HORSES, CATTLE, SHEEP, SWINE AND POULTRY. : WITH ALL THE : FACTS CONCERNING THK VARIOUS BREEDS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS^ BREAKING, TRAININCJ, SHELTERING, BUYING, SELLIN(;, PROFITABLE USE, AND GENERAL CARE ; : EMBRACING : ALL THE DISEASES TO WHICH THEY ARE SUBJECT THE CAUSES, HOW TO KNOW, AND WHAT TO DO; GIVEN IN PLAIN, SIMPLE LANGUAGE, FREE FROM TECHNICALITIES, BUT SCIENTIFICALLY CORRECT AND WITH DIRECTIONS THAT ARE EASILY UNDER- STOOD, EASILY APPLIED, AND REMEDIES ' THAT ARE WITHIN THE REACH OF THE PEOPLE ; THE MOST RECENT, APPROVED AND HUMANE METHODS FOR THE PRESERVA- TION AND CARE OF STOCK, THE PRE\ENTION OF DISEASE, AND RESTORATION OK HEALTH ; DESIGNED FOR THE FARMER AND STOCK-OWNER. J. RUSSELL MANNING, M. D., V. S. WITH 400 ILLUSTRATIONS. ST. LOUIS, MO. : N. D. THO.MPSON & CO., Plblishers, 5^0, 522 and 524 Pine Street. iSSo. "r Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year iSSo, b N. D. THOMPSON & CO., In the ottice of the Librarian of Congress, at AVashingto PUBLISHER'S PREFACE. It is with especial pleasure and pride that the publishers present to the public this volume. They believe that in design, extent, variety of matter and illustration, especial adaptability to the wants of the farmer and stock owner, and in its explicit and practical teachings, it has not been equalled in tiie history of American agricultural publications. No author has to the same extent carried into effect in this department of literature the modern and popular idea of '■^ object teacldng." And in no depart- ment of literature is such teaching so useful and practical in character. With our author it has not been enough to describe ; but he illustrates — teaching through the eye as well as by word, and with a definiteness in both I'espects that will enable any one, by proper study, however unfa- miliar with the subjects of which it treats, to become well versed in all the essentials of a practical knowledge of the use, cai'e, diseases and treatment of domestic animals. Though the book is large, the system of tiie arrangement is so perfect that any fact in its contents can be readily found, and this constitutes it a most convenient Avork for ready reference as well as for general study. The illustrations, covering the subjects of breeds, characteristics, points, character, and the various stages of dis- eases, etc., are exhaustive, while the elaborate charts, so minutely illusti-ating the ages of the horse and cow, are decided features and most useful as well as novel. The author's careful education in the profession of Veterinary Medicine, his large practice, and his experience in the general care and management of live stock, have eminently qualified him for the task he has undertaken, and we place the result of his labor befcn-e the public, believing that he has done his work well — that he has produced a book that will be of most practical and pecuniary value to every stock-owner. Relieving this, the book is launched upon the sea of agricultural litei-aturc with the confident belief that it is demanded and that it will accomplish its mission of usefulness. AUTHOKS PREFACE The author's object in writing the following; book was to impart such practical information to the American farmer and stock-owner, ;is will lead to a nmch needed and beneficial reform in the breeding, care and general treatment of domestic animals ; to offer such informa- tion in practical shape as will enable him to realize a greater benefit from live stock in health, and familiarize him with the causes that produce diseases, that he may avoid them ; and also to give such facts that he may know the nature of a disorder when it exists, as well as the proper remedies to apply. In the suggestions offered we have kept steadily in view the necessity of simplicity in describing disease, and of prescribing those i-emedies that the ordinary farmer can without difficulty procure and easily administer. In a practice of tAventy-five years in country districts, among the agricultu- ral classes, we believe we have learned to know their wants in this respect, and this volume is an earnest effort to meet them. It has alwaj's been a matter of sui'prise that such a work for farmers and small stock-owners — simi)le in style and diction, yet scientifically exact, covering the entire subject of domestic animals — has never been prepared ; yet we believe we speak within the facts in saying that our agricultural literature has to the present time been without a volume fulfilling these requisites. The effort has been to produce a systematic work, accessible to the farmer, giving the known facts and principles of the art of handling, improving, breeding, care and management of domestic animals in health, the causes which produce disease, and how to avoid them ; how to know disease, and what to do. In short, to ]iroduce such a work as will serve as a valuable hand-book, both for study and for constant reference for tlic farmer, and which will enable him to tiu'ii the industry of stock- breediuii', raising, !)uying and selling to greater ^/-q/iV. AUTIIOU S PREFACE. VU In what we have said conconiiiig the characteristics, excellences and ■defects of the various breeds of live stock (and in this we have tried to be full, explicit and exact), wc have not been biased by partial itj"^ for any, and have studiously avoided expressing any preference, when the facts, obtained b}' long familiarity with the subjects, and much reading and ob- servation, did not clearly sustain the position taken. The book is not in any sense in the interest of any breed or breeds, and even less is it in the interest of any class of breeders or importers. In these things the interests of truth and the reader have been the influ- ences that controlled. There is no advertisement in its pages. If in the directions given throughout the ^vork we liave subjected our- selves to the charge of making a hobby of cai'cful and tender treatment of animals, we reply that a long experience, and the observations of a life-time, have very strongly impressed us that not only humanity but ■econohiij is l)cst served by kindness, and if the influence of this book shall lead to a more general study of the comfort of domestic animals, we will feel that we have served the JincatciaJ interest of the breeder in an equal IJroportion to the welfare of the animals. One of the facts that has always forcibly- impressed us is, that among horse owners, and even those long familiar with horses, there are so few good judges of a horse. The different developments of the horse for the different purposes for which horses are used, seem to be little under- stood, yet it is susceptible of very accurate knowledge, and in the ap- propriate places in these pages, we have, by careful analysis of the jyoints of the horse, and A^ery copious illustrations, given facts that will enable any one to readily determine a horse's appropriate uses and his value. In this is included the very extensive chart for telling the age, and also the easy directions for ascertainhig vices and unsoundness. "With the other domestic animals like information is given and with equal plainness. With these facts before him, so explicitly stated and so exhaustively illustrated, any one can soon learn to buy to advantage. We have endeavored to guard the unsuspecting against the arts of the jockey, and to point out so plainlv the difference between an elegant and common horse, a good and bad one, a sound and unsound one, an old and a young one, a vicious, dangerous horse, and a kind, tractable one, that any person may easily learn to protect himself against imposition. The same plan has been sustained with the other subjects. Hard names and technical terms have been avoided as much as possible, but when terms of anatomical and medical science have been necessarily employed they are exiflained and applied with a degree of plainness and precision that brings them within the ready comprehension of every reader. Vlll AUTHOR S I'KEFACE. To aid the noii-profcssioiuil owner in deciding the nature of disease, en- gravings are given which show the positions in the different stages of various diseases, and which cannot fail to be of great value in determining the character of the disorder. This preface ought not to be concluded without acknowledging the able assistance rendered in the preparation of this book by Hon. Jonathan Periam, of Chicago, whose great experience with stock, and as an agri- cultural writer, extending through a quarter of a century, has been of such advantage in its preparation. To his extensive information, prac- tical suggestions, and ready pen, every department of the work is in- debted, and acknowledgments are hereby made. To Prof. Ed. Porter Thompson of Bentonville, Arkansas, a graceful and prolitic writer, and a scholar of classical attainments, obligation is also expressed. J. R. M TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART I. THE HORSE, HIS HISTORV, BREEDS, CHARACTERISTICS AND MANAGEMENT. CHAPTER I. HIS HISTORY AS A COMPANION AND SERVANT OF MAN. Page. Connected witW Man from a Very Early Age.— His Importance as a Helper in the Work of the World.— His Superiority Over the Other Animals.— The Horse and His Eider become in Some Measure on« Creature. — His Nativity: Doubt Concerning it. — His Existence upon Earth Probably Contemporaneous with that of Man. — The Most Ancient Authors Allude to Him. — He Passes into Different Parts of the Globe.— Wild Herds in the Eastern Continent.— Origin of the Wild Herds in America, — Found as a Domestic among Nearly all People. — Greater Liability to Disease in a Domestic than in a Wild State. —Subject to Deterioration under Ig- norant Management.- The Wisdom of the Arabs as Breeders and Keepers.— Difference of Opinion among Men as to Systems of Breeding; Attention Called to its Treatment in this Work. — Knowledge and Skill necessary to Ills Proper Care 17 CHAPTER II. ILLUSTRATED DESCRIPTION. Necessity for a Comprehensive Idea of the Construction of the Horse, and the Relations of His Parts.— Scientiflc Terms Used, but E.xplaincd.— Subsequent Portions of the Work More Readily Understood by Reference to this Chapter.- Knowledge of Structure Indispensable to Surgery.— Skeleton; Stctional View of Thorax, Abdomen, and Pelvis; Vertical Section of Head; Section ofFoot; Front and Back View of Foot; and E. eternal Parts 22 CHAPTER III. HOW TO TELL A HORSE'S AGE. A Knowledge of Changes in the Teeth the Only Means.— This Chapter to be Studied in Connection with the Chart which Follows.— Buyers Likely, without this Knowledge, to be Deceived.— In- cisors Chiefly to be Relied on.— Condition of a Foal's Mouth.- The Changes that Follow.— How Foal Teeth are to be Distinguished from Horse Teeth — Wearing away of the Grinder or Enam- eled Portion —Number of Teeth in a Full Grown Animal.— Difference between Horses and Mares as to Number —Incisors, Hooks, and "Wolf's Teeth." How to Determine Age till Foal is Two Years Old.— Uow from Two to Old Age.— The Horse of Medium Size to be Taken as a Stand- l: TABLE OF CONTEXTS. Page. ard.— Shooting up and Grinding oil".— Irregular Teeth j How to Judge.— Peculiar Hardness of Bones and Slowness of Change in Certain Jreeds.— The Mule; Age Hard to Find Out with Ex- actness.— Deceptions; How to Detect.— Crib Biters How to Examine— Terms dedned 31 CHAPTER IV. DIFFERENT BREEDS zVND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS. I. The Inferior Varieties: Many found in Both Hemispheres, borne Good, but Little Known ot Thein. — II. Some considered as to Work rather than Breed; the Farm Horse; the Hunter; the Hackney; Horses for Heavy Draft —III. The Arabian.— IV. The Barb.— V. 1 h.- English Thor- oughbred. —VI, The Persian.— VII. The Turk. —VIII. The Turkoman.— IX. The Egyptian.— X. The Dongola — XL The Norman Percheron.— XII. The Thoroughbred in America.— XIII. The Morgan.— XIV. The Xarragansett Pacer.- XV. The Canadian.— XVI. The Connestoga.— XVII. Ponies 37 CHAPTER V. BREEDING AND RAISING. I. Importance of the Subject.— II. The Best Stock the Cheapest.— lU. Hereditary Tendencies and Immaturity to be Guarded Against.— IV. Principles of Transmission.— V. The two Methods, "in-and-in" and "cross" Breeding Considered. —VI. Treair.ient of the Mare after being Served, During Pregnancy, etc. — VII. How to Know whether a Mare is in Foal. — VIII. How to Know Time of Fsaling.— IX. Abortion, or Slinking the Foal X. How to Raise Colts.— XI. Mules... 79 CHAPTER VI. HOW TO BREAK AND TRAIN A HORSE. I. American vs. English Foals. —II. At Weaning Time. —III. The First Lesson.— IV. Training.— V. Training to Work —VL Training to Back.— VII. Training to Saddle and Harness.— VIII. To Handle a Horse —IX. How to Handle a Vicious Colt.— X. Saddling and Harnessing.- XI. How to Subdue a Vicious Horse — XH. How to Train to the Saddle. — XIII. Training to Trot [in Har- ness —XIV. How to Ti-ain to trot in Light Harness.— XV. How to Train for the Plow. — XVI. Training to the Wagon —XVn. How to Train a Kacer — XVIU. Traininga Stallion 87 CHAPTER VII. HOW TO SHELTER. 1. Comfortable Shelter Economical. — H. Consideration in Constmcting Stables— in. Mangers and Racks' — IV. How to Insure a Good Temperature. — V. Cleaning the Stables.— VI. The Loft. — VII. The Harness Room —VIII. The Out-shed —IX. Water 106 CHAPTER VIII. HOW TO FEED, WATER AND GROOM. 1. Laying the Foundation. —II. AVhat to Feed.- III. When to Feed.— IV . Watering.— V. Kinds and Quantities of Food to be Given.— VI. How to Prepare the Food. — VII. How to Make Mashes, Gruels and Hay-tea.— VIII The Value of Hay and Straw.— IX. Feeding Grain.— X. Stable Care and Grooming.— XI. The Time to Clean —XII. Care of the Feet . — XIII. Blanketing, when Nee - essary.— XIV. Proper Tools for the stable 11! TAHLE OF CONTENTS. XI Paob. CHAPTER IX. BENEFITS OF KIND AND CAREFUL TREATMENT. I. Abusing a Faithful Servant— II. Wliat are liarbarities —III. A Picture from Life— IV. The Other .Side. — V. A Guotl Farmer's Surroundings, — VI. Farmer Unthrift's Farm. — VII. His Home —VIII. The Careful Man's Theory.— IX. Using the Means We Have.— X. An Infallible Rule 121 CHAPTER X. HOW TO DUY. I. now to Get Correct Information.— II. The Buyer Must Know What He Wants.— HI. Propor- tions of the Horse.— IV. The Cleveland Bay for ProBt.— V. How to Buy a Trotting Horse.— VI. One Mustknow what He Buys for.— VII. The Light Harness Horse.- VIII. Saddle Horses of all Uaits — IX. The High-Bred Hunting Horse.— X. Racing Horses —XI. What the Racer Should be —XII. To Avoid Vices and Detects ; How to Detect.— XIII. Other Faults and imper- fections 131 CHAPTER XI. HOW. TO BUT, CONTINUED. I. PiUying Cheap Horses. — II. Color, in Relation to Value.— III. Action. — IV. Fast-walking Horses —V. What a Horse Should Be.— VI. What Constitutes UneoUBdness.- VII. Illustration of Form and Symmetry. — VIII. The Body and Limbs.— IX. The Body as Standing Facing You. X. Front View of Fore-quarters.— Showing Different Bad Conformations. — XI. The Hind-quar- ters —XII. The View from Behind —.Kill . What Not to Buy —XIV. Buying for Blood.— XV. Summing Up IKS PART II. DISEASES OF THE HORSE. THEIR CAUSES; HOW TO KNOW THEM, AKD HOW TO CURE THEM. CHAPTER I. I. Introduction. — II. External Manifestation of Disease 183 CHAPTER II. DISEASES OF THE SKIV AND SUB-CUTANEOUS TISSUES. 1. Scratches— H. Grease —III Thriisb —IV. Swelled .\nkles.— V. Swelled Legs.— VI Surfeit. VII. Mange— VIII. Ring-worm.— IX. HMc-boun I. — X. Saddle Galls, or Sitfasts.- XI. Fun- gous Collar Tumor —XII. Warts.— —^l. Vermin.— XIV. Lai-va in 'he Skin.— XV. Tetter — XVI. Rat-tails.— XVII. Malle drKT'andSallBnders.— XVIH. Poll-evil.— XIX. Fistula 187 CHAPTER III. DISEASES OF THE GLANDS AND NASAL MEMBRANES. 1. Glanders —II. Farcy— III. Distemper.— IV. Nasal Gleet.— V. Nasal Polypus 223 XU TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. CHAPTER IV. DROPSICAL AFFECTIONS. I. Dropsy of the Heart.— n. Dropsy of the Brain.— III. Dropsy of the Chest.— IV'. Dropsy of the Skin of the Chest. — V. Dropsy of the Scrotum. — VI. Dropsy of the Abdomen .^n CHAPTER V. DISEASES OF THE THROAT, CHEST, AND LUNGS. I Chest Founder.— II. Bronchitis.- III. Pneumonia, or Inflammation of the Lungs.— IV. Con- sumption.— V. Pleurisy. — VI. Colds.— VII. Enlarged Glands.— VIII. Swelled Throat.- IX. Chronic Cough.— X. Malignant Epidemic— -XI. Difficulty of Breathing.— XII. Broken Wind, Bellows, Heaves. — XIII. Influenza. — XIV. Spasmodic Action of the Glottis and Epiglottis.^ XV. Croup.— XVI. Bleeding from the Nose.— XVII. Strangles 248 CHAPTER VI. DISEASES OF TH-E STOMACH AND BOWELS. I. Sour Stomach. —II. Colic— III. The Bot.— IV. Inflamm,ation and Rupture of the Colon. —V. In- flammation and Bleeding of the Rectum. — VI. Spontaneous Salivation.— VII. Inflammation of the Stomach. —VIH. Soreness and Itching of the Anus. — IX. Chronic Gastritis.— X. .«pasm of the Diaphragm.— XI. Rupture of the Stomach —XII. Gorged Stomach.— XIII. Inflammation of the Peritoneum. — XIV. Strangulation of the Intestines. — XV. Functional Diseases of the Liver. — XYl. Parasites which AiTect the Intestines. — XVII. Diarrhoea 272 CHAPTER VII. DISEASES OF THE LIVER, URINARY ORGANS, &c. I. Jaundice. — II. Enlargement of the Spleen. — III. Inflammation of the Kidneys.— IV. Profuse Staling, or Diabetes. — V. Bloody Urine, or Hajraaturia. — VI. Thick and Albuniinous Urine. — VII. White or Lime Urine.— V^III. Gravel, or Stone in the Bladder. — IX. Suppression of the Urine. — X. Inflammation of the Bladder — XI. Foul Sheath.— XII. Rupture of the Bladder. — XIII. Spasm of the Urethra. — XIV. Inflammation of the Organs of Generation -293 CHAPTER VIII. DISEASES OP THE TEETH AND MOUTH. I. Teething, or Dentition.— II. Shedding Teeth —III Blind Teeth— IV. Decay ol the Teeth.— V. Scurvy. — VI. Stump-sucking, or Crib-biting. — VII. Lampas. — VIII. Inflammation in and Around the Teeth — IX. Slavering. — X. Inflammation of the Tongue. — XI. Sharp and Project- ing Teeth.— XII. Scald Mouth— XIII. Aptha.— XIV. Inflammation of the Parotid Gland.— XV. Flstvila of the Parotid Duct 306 CHAPTER IX. DISEASES OF THE HEART, BLOOD, &c. I. Thumps. — II. Scrofula. — III. Fever, or General Inflammation. — IV. Enlargement of the Heart. —V. Fatty Degeneration of the" Heart.— VI. Enlargement of the Arteries.— Vll. Inflammation of the Jugular Vein.— VIII. Inflammation of the Absorbeaiv — JX. Scarlatina 3IB '7 *■ CHAPTER X. DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. I. Apoplexy, or Sleepy Staggers — II. Hydrophobia, or Rabies. — III. Mad ^taggers, or Phrenitie. XV. Blind Staggers, Megrims, or Vertigo. — V, Abscess within the Brain 327 TABLE OF CONTENTS. XIU Page. CHAPTER XI. DISEASES OF THE MUSCLES AND TENDONS. I. Blood Spavin. — n. Bog Spavin— HI Curb.— IV. Tliorougli-pin—V Tetanus, or Lockjaw.— VI. Cramps. --VII. Rheumatism.-- VI II. String-lialt 844 CHAPTER XII. DISEASES OF THE EYE. 1. Natural Weak Eyes. — II. Sore Eyelids. — III. Moon-eyes. — IV. Cataiact. — V. Hooks, orlnHam- mation of the Haw. — VI. Dimness of Vision. — VII. Worms in the Eye. — VIII. Purulent Oph- thalmia — IX. Fungoid Tumors in the Substance of the Eye. — X. Impediment in the Lachrymal Duct.- XI. Gutta Serena 8,>il CHAPTER XIII. DISEASES OF THE BONES. I. Big Head and Big Jaw.— II. Sweeny of the Shoulder.— III. Sweeny of the Hip. — rV. BoneSpav- in.— V. EnlargedHock.— VI— Ring-bone —VII. Stifle.— VIII. Splint.— IX. Sore shins, Inflam- mation of the Metacarpal Bones. — X. Rotten Bones —XI. Inflammation of the Knee Bone. XII. Caries of the lower jaw 363 CHAPTER XIV. DISEASES OF THE FEET. I. Ulceration of the Foot (navicular disease) —11. Cracked Hoof .—III. Hoof Rot.— IV. Corns. — V. Contraction of the Hoof (narrow heel). — VI. Injuries of the Frog. — VII. Founder. — VIII. Nail Pricking.— IX. Canker.- X. Sand Crack.— XI. False Quarter —XII. Quittor. — XIII. Toe Crack —XIV. Pumice Foot.— XV. Seedy Toe.— XVI. Ossifled Cartilages —XVII. Side Bones. XVIII . Incised Wounds of the Sole 37 1 CHAPTER XV. WOUNDS AND INJURIES AND THEIR RESULTS. I. Strains and Sprains— II. Overreach.— TIL Brushing, or Speedy Cut.— IV. Broken Rnees. V. Capped Elbow.— VI. Frost-bite.— VII. Burns add Scalds.- VIII. Rupture.— IX. Choking.— X. Wounds Penetrating Cavity. — XI. Contused Wounds. ^XII. Lacerated Wounds. — Xlll. Punc- tured Wounds. — XIV. Broken Hock —XV. Dislocations. — XVI. Various Fractures. — XVII. Various Distortions. — XVIII. Diseases of the Ear Sgg CHAPTER XVI. POISONS. I. Internal Poison. — H. Poisoned Skin CHAPTER XVII. ■VETERINARY SURGERY. I. Castrating. — TI. Bleeding— HI. Tracheotomy — IV. Periosteotomy. — V. Neurotomy. — VI. Di- vision of the Tendons, &c , &c., &c 414 XIV TAHLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVIII. MISCELLANEOUS MINOR DISEASES. I. Melanosis, or Black Pigment Tumors.— II. Epithelial Cancer.— III. Dropsy of the Lungs.— IV. Stings and Bites.— V. Falling off of the Hair.— VI. Acute Irritation of the Skin.— VII. Hardtn- ingof the Skin.— VIII. Exotosis ofthe Lower Jaw.— IX. Swelling, by Pressure of the Bridle.— X. SoreNose.- XI. Roaring, or High Blowing.— XU. Wind Galls.— XUI. Rupture of the Ham- string 1 IS CHAPTER XIX. Medicines: What to Keep; llow to Obtain; How to Prepare; and How to Give Them Ui CHAPTER XX. Implements: What to Keep; How to Use 448 PART III. Cattle. THEIR HISTORY, ORIGIN, BKKF.DS AND CHARACTERISTICS, MANAGEMENT AND CARE. CHAPTER I. NATURAL HISTORY OF CATTLE. Their Origin,— Early Domestication —The Different Kinds and Their Peculiarities .-Improved Breeds.- 1. Devons.- U. Sussex.- HI. Short-Horns.- IV. Alderneys.— V. Holsteins.— VI. Poll- ed Cattle.— VH. KcrryCows.- VIU. The Cherokee or Texas Cattle, Etc., Etc 447 CHAPTER II. BREEDING AND FEEDING. CHAPTER III. TRAINING AND WORKING. Training vs. Breaking.— Training the Calf.— Haltering.— Training to Milk —Feeding at Milking' Time.— Viciousness in C9W8.— Hooking Cows.— Training 0.\en.— Train Stock Young. — Summing up.— Managing a Kicking Cow 571 CHAPTER IV. HOW TO SHELTER. Necessity of Shelter.— Artificial Protection.- A Framed stable.— A Cheap Stable.— About Bams.— A Common Sense Barn.— A Square Cross Barn — Basements for Cattle.— Arranging the Base- ment.— Adapting Means to the End.— What to Plant 583 TABLK <1F CONTEXTS. XV I'AOE. CIIAPTEK V. HOW TO PASTURE, FEED AND WATEE. About Pasturage. — Clovers that do Well — Undesirable Clovers. — AlTalfa. — The True Grasses. — Timothy, or Cat's Tail Grass. — Blue Grass —Red Top. — Orchard Grass. — Fowl Meadow Grass. —Time for Pasturing. — Watering.- FeedingStock Cattle. — How to Feed — Feeding Milch Cows. . GOl CHAPTER VI. BENEFITS OF KIND AND CAREFUL TREATMENT. Feeding for Profit. — As between well and ill Kopt Stock. — Heavyweights. — Profit in Early Matu- rity. —Make Beef Young — Baby Beef.— Feeding; Cost in England. — Summer Feeding. — Animal Waste.— Animal Heat. — Advantages of Summer and Winter Feeding 60S CHAPTER VII. HOW TO BU V AND now TO SELL. The Value of Good Care. — Estimating Weight. — Estimating by Measurement. — Buying to Feed. — How to Buy Breeders. — Where Good Beef Lies. — Buying Feeding Stock. — Analyzing the Carcass, — Proper Shape of Well-Bred Fattening Stock. — How to Buy. — Buying Milch Cows. — Buying Dairy Milkers. — Milk Mirrors.— The True Value of Milk Mirrors. — Value of Escutcheon Marks . — Milkers in all Breeds. — Heredity. — Digestion. — Respiration. — Symmetry 021 CHAPTER VIII. THE DAIRY. Rushing into New Industries.— The Importance at Dairying.— Estimated Production of Butter and Cheese. — Conditions Necessary to Dairying. — How to Build. — Sub-earth Ventilation. — Care of Milk. — Temperature. — Various Methods of Raising Cream. — Making Dairy Butter. — Salting Butter. — Washing or Working Butter. — Packing Butter. — Preparing Packages. — Kind of Salt to TTse. — Cheese Making. — Cheddar Cheese. — Cheshire Cheese. — How to Sell Butter. — Utilizing Waste- Products 630 PART IV. IDiseases of Cattle. THEIR CAUSES ; HOW TO KNOW THEM ; WHAT TO DO. CHAPTER I. DISEASES IN GENERAL— RECOGNIZING AND DISTINGUISHING THEM. FarmersShouldUnderstandSymptoms.-Of Diseases in General— Use Common Sense. -Gradua- tion of Doses —Frequency of Administering.- Forms of Doses.- How to Give Medicine — Injections.— Vapors, Spraying and Fumigation.— Anajsthetics.-To Deprive of Sensation — Blistering.-Firing.— Setons.— Rowels.— Sewing up Wounds.-Fomentations —Operation of Bleeding.— Recognizing and Distinguishing Diseases.— The Pulse —The Breathing.— The Animal Heat —The Skin and Hair.— The Posture.— Indications of Pain.— Special Signs in Cattle 6 XVI TAULK OF f'ONTENTS. Taoe. CHAPTER II. GESTATION, DISEASES AND ACCIDENTS TllEUEOF. rim-ftl tvml Multiple Gistatlou.—Trciitmeiit Diirlug Gcstiitlou.—Binh.— Prolonged Labor .—Large rreseutatlon.— Unnatural Positions of the Call".— Flooding.— Presentation of After-birtli.— In- version of the Womb. — Languid Ltihor. — Irritability and Straining. — Temporary I'aralysis. — Abortion.— Isolation 67« CHAPTER III. INFECTIOUS, CONTAGIOUS AND EPIDEMIC DISEASES. rneumonla.— History.- Its Malignant ContJigiousness. — Dellnition. — llow the Infection enters the System. — IIow Long is a Diseased Animal lul'eclious. — How to Know it. — What to do. — Toxaa Fever. — IIow to Kkow it. — Bloody Murrain. — its Malignant Chanicter. — Preventives. — What to do.— Foot ami Moulh Diseases.— Malignant Catarrh 835 CHAPTER IV. MEDICINES AND INSTllUMENTS; WHAT TO KEEP. 1. Dissection —II. Action of Medicines. — III. Medicines to l)e Kept, anu Doses. — IV. Simple and Valuable Uccipes.—V. Forms of Clysters— VI. Infusions.— VH. Anti-Spasmodics.— Vlil . Mu- cilages.— 1.\. Washes.— X. Poultices.- XI. Fumigations,— XII. Tmcture for Wounds 687 PART V. S h. e e p . THEIR HISTORY, BREEDS, CHARACTERISTICS, BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT. CHAPTER I. ORIGIN, PRINCIPAL 15KEEDS AND «. II.VRACTEKISTIC3. Cosmopolitan Nature of Sheep.— Long-Wooled Sheep.- 1. Leicester.- II. Bonier Leicester.— III. Cotswold.— Good Qualities of Cotswolds.-Cotswolds in the West.— IV. LiucolnSheep —V. New Oxfmlshire Sheep —VI. Middle- Wooled Sheep.— VII. Cheviot Sheep.— VIII. White-Faced Highland Sheep. —IX. Dorset Sheep —X. Southdowus— XI. Hampshire Downs.— XII. Shrop- shire Downs.— Xlll. Oxfor S ^w i 11 e . HISTORY, BREEDS, CHARACTERISTICS AND MANAGEMENT. CHAPTER I. HISTORY AND BREEDS. Origin of the Hog. — Teeth of the Hog.— Importance of Swine to Man. — I. Improved Breeds of Swine. — English Breeds. — II. The Berkshirea. — Establishing the Improved Berkshire — Stand- ard Characteristics of Berkshires. — III. Neapolitan Hogs. — IV. Essex Breed. — V. Yorkshire Hog — ^'I. SnlTolks. — ^ VII. Lancashire Hogs. — VIII. Lancashire Middle-Breed. — IX. Large Lancashire. — American Breeds. — X. Poland China. — XI. Chester Whites. — XU. Jersey Keds. — Chesnires. — XIII. Characteristics. — Recapitulation of Breeds ^ge CHAPTER II. BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT. Importance of Swine. — A Back-Woods Hog. — Fixing and Holding the Characteristics. — Selection Always Important.— Breeding Age of Swine.— Care of Breeding Sows. — Weaning.— Mnnagement of Swine — Absolute Cleanliness Necessary. — ?fummary 734 CHAPTER III. FEEDING AND SHELTER. Good vs. Bad Food —Summer Feeding.- Other Summer Foods.— Roots.-The Grains —Feeding South —Mast.— Feeding in Conflnement.— Hog Barns —A Cross Barn.-A .Simple Pen.— Sum- mary.— Light vs. Heavy Hogs j92 2 XVm TABLE OF CONTENTS. Paos. PART VIII. 33iseases of* S^wine. HOW TO KNOW AND HOW TO CURE THEM. CHAPTER I. DISEA*E-i OF SWINE. Uxpliirmlloa of Cut.-Uinicr.Uy ol' AdniinistcrinK Medicine— Gooil Nursing the Essential.— Malig nantand Contagious Diseases. — Maligniini Kpizo'itic Catnirli — ll'tw lo Know it. — Wluit toUo.-- Intestinal " Hog Cholera," — How to Know It. — Oausas. — Treatment. —Prevention. — Contagions Pnenmo-enteritis — Us Origin. — The Erysipelatous Form. — The Form with Malignant Throat. — What to Do. — Malignant Anthrax, Splenic Ferer. — True Charbon. —Inflammatory Diseases.— Qninsy, or Strangles.- Risingof the Lights.— Pneumonia. — Catarrh in the Head. -Diseases of the Skin.— Measles —How to Know it.— The Lard Worm What to do. — Trichina Spiralis. —How to Cure — Lice — Diarrhea — Summary gOj. PART IX. "Pou-ltry. HISTORY; BREEDS, THEIR CHARACTERISTICS; BREEDING AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT. CHAPTER I. History and Wild Types 819' CHAPTER II. VARIETIES OF BARN-YARD FOAVLS. I. DorKing Fowls. — H. Sliver Grey Dorkings.— Ill Black Dorkings. — IT. Fawn-Colored Dork- ings. — V. Bolton Greys. — VI, Dominique Fowls. — VU. I'lymoutli Rocks. — VIII. The Ostrich Fowls. — IX. Hamburg Fowls — X. Black Ilamburgs. — XI. Leghorns. — XII White Leghorns. — .\III. Spanish Fowls. —XIV. French Fowls.- XV. The Uoudans.— XVI. LaFleche Fowls — X.XII. The Creve Cieurs.— XVIII. Laige Asiatic Breeds.— XIX. The Cbittagougs.— XX. Buff Cochins —XXI. Partridge Cochins —XXII. White Cochins —XXIII. Brahma Fowls —XXIV. Light Brahmas— XXV. Frizzled Fowls —XXVI, Silkies.— XXVII. Breda or Guelder Fnwls.— X.KVIII. Game Fowls -1. Brown-breasled Reds.— 2. Earl Dirby Game.— 3. l>uck-winged Game.— 4. White Georgian Game. — .1. Game Bantams — G. Other Bantams — 7. Seabright Ban- tams, — S. Japanese Bantams ^j CHANTER III BREEDING. The Plumage. —Ideal Shape —Breeding to Type. —Disparity of .ov For Market —Egg Producers.— How to Fatten— How to kill Market .. d f.r r,m ■la —Best Breeds imI (Iri-ss Vo\ vis.— Packing for 86(> TABLE OF CONTENTS. xix Paoe. CHAPTER V. THE HOME OF THE TURKEY. Varieties of the Domestic Turkey.— I. The Common Turkey.— II. English Turkey.— III.— The Hon- duras Turkey.— IV. Bronzed-Black Turkey.— V. Guinea Fowl —VI. The Peacock 8T1 CHAPTER VI. DUCKS. 1. linuen Ducks. — II. Aylesbury Ducks.— III. Call Ducks. — IV. Cayuga Black Ducks. — V. Grey Ducks. — VI, Black East India Ducks, — Summary gjg CHAPTER VII. GEESE. I. Embden or Bremen Geese. — II. Toulouse Geese.— III. Hong Kong Geese. — IV. 'White Chinese Geese. — V. African Geese.— VI. Canada Wild Geese. — Management of Geese. gtjB Glossary of Terms Used by Fanciers and Hrecders ^ijj PART X DISEASES OF POULTRY AND THEIR REMEDIES. CHAPTER I. DISEASES AND REMEDIES. Anatomy of the Hen. — Apoplexy. — Its Cause. — Roup —To Cure. — Egg Bound —Inflammation of the Egg passage. — Cholera. — Gapes. — Cause. — How to Cure. — Crop Bound. — Diphtheria, or Croup. — Lice PART I. THE HORSE ; :HIS: HISTORY, BREEDS, CHARACTERISTICS AND MANAGEMENT. THE HORSE. CHAPTER I. HIS HISTORY AS A COMPANION AND SERVANT OP MAN. •CONNECTED WITH MAN FROM A VERY EARLY AGE. HIS IMPORTANCE AS A HELPER IN THE WORK OF THE WORLD. HIS SUPERIORITY OVER THE OTHER ANIMALS. THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER BECOME IN SO.MB .MEASURE ONE CREATURE. HIS NATIVITY: DOUBT CONCERNING IT. HIS EXISTENCE UPON EARTH PROBABLY CONTEMPORANEOUS WITH THAT OP MAN. THE MOST ANCIENT AUTHORS ALLUDE TO HIM. HE PASSES INTO DIF- FERENT PARTS OP THE GLOBE. WILD HERDS IN THE EASTERN CONTINENT. ORIGIN OP THE WILD HERDS IN AMERICA. FOUND AS A DOMESTIC AMONQ NEARLY ALL PEO- PLE. GREATER LIABILITY TO DISEASE IN A DO.MESTIC THAN IN A WILD STATE. SUBJECT TO DETERIORATION UNDER IGNORANT MANAGE.MENT. THE WISDOM OF THE ARABS AS BREEDERS AND KEEPERS. DIFFERENCE OF OPINION AMONG MEN AS TO SYS- TEMS OF BREEDING: ATTENTION CALLED TO ITS TREATMENT IN THIS WORK. KNOWL- EDGE AND SKILL NECESSARY TO HIS PROPER CARE. " And God miidc the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everj-thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind : and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth. " Although the precise period at which the horse was .subjected to the use of man is unknown, it is not unreasonable to conjecture that it was at a time long anterior to his mention in history ; and it is probable that since the day when man was made master of all other created things, no animal has been more constantly his companion and friend ; and that no other has contributed so much assistance in subduing wild nature and making everything subservient to his w^ill and promotive of his happiness. Other animals, particularly sheep and cattle, have shared with the horse this usefulness to mankind, it is true : and in our present civilized state, when mechanical ingenuity is making such rapid strides in disiiensing ^\•ith 1)S ILLLSTKATED STOCK DOCTOK. animal lal)or, it may 1)0, as is soinotimcs daimod, that the wool-bearing and mill<-givin_u' animals — esi)ecialiy eonsidering that these same animals funiish also a large proportion of our Hesh food — are to be held as taking the preeedenee ; but as to adai)tability, bet'oming, as it were, a ereature of all work ; as to comeliness and (juiekness of motion ; as to a certain sym- l)athv with his master that makes him at times so to })ai't(Uve of his spirit and motions as to seem one with him ; as to a readiness of submission to drudgery as well as to proud emi)loyments, he is without a rival in the world. It is afKrmed l)y many that the horse is a native of Asia, but of this we really know nothing. Others affirm with ecjual, or almost equal, jjlausi- bility, that he is a natixc of central Africa. AVhere all is conjecture, it is needless in a practical work of this chai-acter to speculate. Wherever his i)rimal home may have been, it is at least within the bounds of proba- bility that his existence in Asia, in his present state of develoi)ment, is eontempoi-ary with that of man upon earth. Some among the vei-y earli- est records of the human race contain allusions to him as a well known animal, in the service of man. The dcscrii)tion in the Book of Job, a l)roduction admitted to be of the very highest antiijuity, is a ease in point. He is mentioned here, in glowing terms, as a martial adjunct to his mas- ter — and not as a newly-discovered or recently-subdued creature, but as one with which the world was familiar. Sculptured images of horses as beautiful of ft)rm almost as the noble Arabian of to-day have been found among the ruins of the cities of the desert. He is mentioned by Moses in connection with the Egyptians ; and records older than the writings of Moses point to his having been known and used by that singular people from the dawn of their wonderful civilization. We tind him thus in both Asia and Africa ; and during all the historic period he has been present with man as though native to the soil of many districts of both Continents. AVhcthcr borne thither by natural result of migratory wandering, in a wild state, or whether l)y the ever-spreading human family, tiiere is little to guide us in determining. In the more thinly populated districts of Asia, notably in Southern Siberia, great wild herds have been long known to exist. Though, as we have prexiously intimated, there must have been a noble breed of horses in Aral)ia in the days of their most ancient cities, the introduction of the present breed into that country is thought to have been of a comparatively modern date. It seems clear that long subse- quent to the begimiing of the Christian era there were few horses in Arabia, and those few of no striking excellence, and that the now cele- l)rated Arabians have cither sprung from good horses introduced into the TIIK lIOltSK, IMS OUKilX, ETC. 19 country witliiii the last tliniisaiul years, or are the result of judicious breediiihteen larirer joints of the baek-bone. C — Lumbar vertebra : — ^the six joints of the baek-l)one lying between the upper ends of the false ribs, and the upper edge of the haunch bones. D — Sacrum, or bone which forms the back pait of the pelvis. E — Coccvgeal bones, or tail bones. F. F-Ril>s. G — Costal cartilages, or the cartilages hy which the ends of the ribs arc joined. H — The scapula, or shoulder blade. I — The humerus, or large round bone between the point of the shoul- der and the elbow, or upper part of the fore-leg. K, K — The radiuses, the outer bones of the fore-legs, extending from humerus to knee. 24 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. L — The ulna, the largt-r of tlio two l)om'.s of tlic njipci- part of fore- log, h'iiig behind the radiii.s and extending from the knee to the lower part of ehest. M — The carpus, or knee, e(nnposed of: 1, the seai)h()id, or l)one hav- ing a boat-like form ; 2, the scnii-lunar, or bone resembling a half-moon ; ;{, the cuneiform, or -wedge-shaped bone ; 4, the trapezium, or bone re- sembling tlK^ mathematical figure of that name ; 5, the trapezoid, or bone resembling a trapezoid; (>, the os magnum, or great l)onc of the knee; 7, the unc-iforni, or liook-sh-aped bone ; -S, the pisiform, or pea-shaped bone. fj H — The hu'ge metacarpal or cannon, the big l)oiie of the fore-leg reaching from the knee to the ankle. — Small metacaqial or "splint bones," the* two sniaUer l>ones of the lower part of the fore-legs. P p — The sessamoid bones — two small bones found in the substance of llie tendons at the joining of the fore-leg to the ankle. Q^ Q — Phalanges, embracing : 1, the upper pastern bone ; 2, the os co- rona, or lower pastern bone ; 3, the os jjedis, or first bone in the leg, inside the hoof — the coffin-bone ; and naviculare, a small ship-shaped bone, at the back of the lower pastern, not marked in the figure. R — The pelvis, or basin, composed of: 1, the ilium, or fiank bone; 2, the pubis, or fore-part of one of the l)ones of the pelvis ; ij. the ischium, or hinder and lower part of the liip-l)one. S — The femur, or Ihigh l)one. J — The patella, or small l)one covering the stifle joint — the joint of the hind leg near the flank. y — The tibia, or large, long bone between the hock and the stifle joint. V The fibula, the small, long bone behind and attached to the tibia. W The hock, or that joint of the hind leg between the stifle-joint and the fetlock, embracing the following small bones: 1, the os calcis, or l)ack i)oint of the hock ; 2, the astragalus, or upjjcr bone of the hock that supports the tibia ; ."). the cuueiforni magnum, or largest wedge- shaped bone ; 4, the cuneiform medium, or middle-sized wedge-shaped l)one ; 5, the cuneiform par\-um, or smallest wedge-shaped bone; fi, that small bone of the hock having a somewhat cubical form. X Lartre metatarsal, the front bone of the hind leg, between the hock and the i):istern joint, below which are 1, 2, ?>, tlu' })halanges of the hind leg. Y. 'I'he small metatarsal, or small bone of the hind leg in rear of large metatarsal. 2 The head, embracing: 1, the inferior ninxilla, or lower jaw; 2, the superior maxilla, or u\^\n^v j;iw : .">, anterior maxilla, or outer part of II.I.rsTlJATKI) DKSCIMITKIN. 25 the j;i\\' ; 4, the nasal Itoiic, or hone in front of the nostrils ; f), the ma- lar, or iironiincnt chcck-honc : li, tlic frontal or forehead l)one ; 7, parie- tal, the sides and ui)i)er part of the sknll hones — (wall l)()iies) ; ,S, orei- pital, the l)one of the hhider part of the head ; D, the laehrvinal, or houe iiudosing tlie hielirvnial iilaiid and dutt ; 10, the s(|uanious, or scaly por- tion of the temporal hones; 11, the petrous, or hard part of the lem- poi'al bones inelosinir the organs of hearinjj;. To snnnnarize, the s])iiie is divided into eervieal, dorsal, and hnni>ar vertebra-, or joints, in all, thirty-one ; the tail contains about se\enteen joints; the dorsal verteliraj, with ei<>-liteen ribs attached on oai'h side, and the brQiist-bone (which is not shown in the figure), form the thorax, or cavity inelosiniil, <>i' tli.it ji.-irl of tlic skull which forms tlic hiiul part of till' head. 1 — Tlic (•crchclliiiii, or hinder and smaller di- vision of the l)iain. ;i — The )iarynx, or cavity hounded hy the niemlirane- ons and muscuiai- walls heneath the l)as(^ of the skull, into which the nose and mouth both open, and wliiih is continuous below the tesoiiliagus. !), II, !) — The (esophagus, oi- passage through which food and drink go into the stomach. 10 — The orifice of the stomach passing through the diaphragm. 1 1 — The pylorus, or t he orifice of the stomach through which the food passes into the intestines. 12, 12 — 'i'he hinder Triurface of the diaphragm, or membi'ane which separates the stomach and bowi'ls fi'om the heart and lungs. l.">, l.'i — The trachea, or win(l|)i|ie. 14 — The lungs. ].") — The heart, a — The stomach, b — The spleen, oi- milt, c — The left kidney, d — The broad ligament of the uti'rus or womb, with the left |)or- tion, and the o\ary or that part which contains the seed displayed, e — The rectum, or terminal ])ortion of the large intestines, f — The anus, g, h, i, j, k, 1 — Internal muscles of the thigh. Fig. ". Vkuticai, Section- OK lIoKSK's Head. This cut illustrates still more fully the structure of the head and its contents, a — 'J'he frontal bone, showing sinus or channel beneath. 1) — The parietal or wall bone, covering the brain, e — The nose bone, d — The occipital or back head bone, e, e — The Atlas, or first bone of the neck, showing th<' spinal marrow in its eentei'. f— The ethmoid or sieve- like bone, through which the olfa<-tory or ner\e of smelling passes, g — The sphenoid or wedge-like bone, which, with th<' ethmoid, supports the t)ase of the bi-ain. h — Part of the lower maxillary or jaw bones, with the lower incisor teeth. 1 — The cei-ebriun, or lari;-e brain. '1. — The cere- bellum, or small brain. ;i — 'i'he medulla oblongata, or upper portion of ;3 28 ILl.l.sTltATKD vSTOCIv DOCTOU. the tspinal luanow. 4 — Tlu' spinal iiian-ow. A — Tlio turbinated hones, or tliin, bony plates, in the form of a seroU or horn, found in the nos- trils, and servinji' to jiive wider distribution to the lininji' membrane of the nose. B — The si'ptum nasi, or eartila bone of great solidity, is at the back of the head; a little lower, and back of the occipital bone, is the ai)erture through which the spinal cord, tog(?ther with some nerves syid an artery, make their exit from the brain. Here the bone is smooth and rounded for the purpose of jointing ^vith the atlas, the first bone of the neck. The sphenoid bone (g), forms the inferior and central part of the cranium. The ethmoid (f ), through whieii the olfactory nervo passes, together with the sphenoid, as noted abov<', assists in upholding the base of the brain. In pro.ximity to the facitil bones are found sinuses bearing names derived from their nearness to particular I)ones. The temporal bones forming the sides of the cranium are composed of two j)arts, the sipiamous, or scaly, and the petrous, or stone-like. The petrous portion of the temporal bone contains the organs of hearing, having upon its inside surface the openings for the passage of the auditory nerve ; and upon its outside, large passages for the conveyance of sound. Fig. 4. Front and back view op the hones ov thl foot. Fig. 5. Sectional VIEW (IF THE BONES OF THE FOOT. ILIA'STKATKI) DKSCUIl'TION. 29 Figs. 4 and 5, taken in connec- tion, will serve to give the reader still more definite knowledge than that conveyed by the skeleton of the rela- tive situation of the different parts of the horse's foot, and the terms applied to eaeh. The bones exhibited in the front and back view, Fig. 4, are : c, c — The eoffin bone, or first bone of the leg. d — The sessamoid bone, b, b — The small pasteiMi. a, a- — The largo pastern. The parts exhibited bv Fig. (i are : a — The large metacarpal or caimon l)(>ne. b — The os suffraginis, or large pastern bone. c — One of the ses- samoid bones, d — The os corome, or small pa.stern bone, e — The navic- ular bone. f — The os pedis, or cof- fin bono, g, g, g — The fiexor perfoi'- ans,''or penetrating tendon, h, h — The fiexor perforatus, or ])enetrated tendon, i — The extensor tendon, j — The susjxMisorv ligament, k, k The capsular liganu^nt, or membraneous elastic bag sni-i-oundinu- the joint. 1 — The fetlock joint, m — The pastern joint . n — The cofiin joint . o, The hornv crust, p, p — The hornv sole. (| — Tlie frog. r. — Thesensil)le laminse. t — The sensible frog, u — The cushion. v — Tlie navicular joint. It will be oliserved tiiat the parts exlii])ite(I by Fig. ") areplainl\- named on the engraving. The next cut furnishes a beautiful and compreliensive \ie\v of the terms applied to the various parts of the animal, and it can but prove of great use to those who would not only "talk horse" themselves, l)ut understand the talk of others — especially of veterinary writers when treating of dis- orders, their location, and the j^roper means for their relief. Fig. u. Vertical .Skction ok the Foot AND LowEK Leg. 30 Il.HSTUATKI) STOCK DOCTOK Fl — The forohoad. 4 — The poll. .") — Tho iTost. (! — The jowl. 7 — The <:ulK't . s — The wind- pip,., it— Point of thosh.iuldcr. 10— The bvoast . 11.— The arm. 12 — Thoi-lhow. i;i— Thoiiiith. 11— Tho Hank, la— The sheath. 16— The stifle. 17— The withers. 18— The l)aek. 1!)— The loins. 20— The hip. 21 — Theeroup. 22 — Thcdoek. 2;3 — The quarter. 24 — The thiiih orijaskin. 2.5 — The hanistrinjj. 2t> — Thepoint of hock. 27 — The hoek, (hoiio:h) 2tS — The eannon hone of hind le.'> — 'I'lie cmhuou ()f fore le the indi<-ations of the incisors. When first foaled, the colt has no incisors. Twelve l)ack teeth have in most cases forced their points by this time through the gums ; but it is not until from two to three months afterward that the four nippers ap- pear ; in six weeks the ni])pers are seen : and in about eight months the four I'orner teeth. There are now. at eiiilit or nine months old. twentv- 32 II.I.l SlUAIKl) .STOCK DCXTOl!. four toi'tli, (upper and lower), i.".\\\i.-d /()a/-/('('//i. These are all ehaiiged 1)\- the tifth or sixth year, and those that follow are ealled horxe-teeth . 'I'he haek teeth appear as follows : the three front double pair are seen at birth, and are afterward ehanjied ; the fourth double pair appear from the eighth to the ninth month ; (this fourth double pair are the first that remain stationary, and they are found in eyery yoar-old eolt) ; the fifth double pail-, or tifth four, appear in the seeond or third year; the sixth, usuaih in the fourth or early in the tifth year. These three double pairs of baeU teelli (last named), remain unehauiied, as do also the four hook teetii. riu' hook teeth are uneertain as to time of appearance, eoming some- times at the end of the thinl year, sometimes in the middle or at the end of the fourth, sonii>tinu>s in the middle or at the end of the fifth, some- times at the begiiming of the sixth. Observe particularly that the incisors of the fo;d differ from tho.sc of tile horse : (1) By theii- rcgul.ir, conical formation; (2) by a narrow eontraetion ealled the neck, yisiblc almost in the ecnter of the body of each tooth, whih> nothing of the kind is seen in horse-teeth ; (;5) by their smaller size, cxcn when full grown. The milk teeth, (or those teeth which are cast or shed), taken from the jaws of dead foals and comjiared with horse-teeth similarly obtained, are found to be only about half as long as the latter. The l)rca(lth is not to be depended on, since the milk teejli of large foals appear almost as broad as those of small horses. ^\'hen the nipi)ers beeonu' horse-teeth, they form a great eontra.st to the middle and corner teeth. The size of tliese la.st Mill at onee .fhow them to be milk tcili. (4) By the fact that the outer surface of the foal-teeth is smooth and striped with brown, wh'de on liorse-teeth the same surface is divided by a dirty yellow milcut.it ion inclining toward the center, which is sometimes doiilile upon the ii))pcr teeth. One should study the fonii of tiic incisors by carefully examnnng those taken from dead horses of different ages. Each incisor Mill be found to consist of a hard, enamelled part, called the grinder, which has protruded above the gum ; of a bony substance, which has been for the most part hidden in the gum; and of a root, which has occupied the <'avity of the jaw-bone. These teeth, (of tiic foal as well as of the horse), arc slowly but con- tinually Avorn away by biting and clu'wing, so that the leng-fh is constantly decreasing, — sometimes eveidy and regularly, — so that in old age the tooth that was onee two and a half or three inches hmg is found to be not exceeding half an inch in length. The breadth generally decrea.ses in about the same proportitm ; but Mith this difference in foal and liorsc- teeth, that the thickness and breadth of foal-teeth are eon.stantlv deereas- THE HORSE, HIS AGE, HOW TO TELL IT. 33 ill*; from the grinder or hard enamelled part to the end of the root, while horse-teeth decrease from the root upward. The grinder, or hard, grat- ing portion of the tooth, which has not yet been used, has somewhat the form of an egg ; it is three times as broad as thick, and hollowed out in the shape of a funnel, which hollow has two sharp edges inclosing it. This socket or hollow is called Utf rnork. In the center of this mark, a sort of kernel may be seen — a tube commencing at the end of the root — that contains the nerves of the tooth ; l)ut this inner hole must always be distinguished from the mark, which is the outer depression, lying next to the sharp edges. The inner cavity is a fuimel-shaped socket, of hard, enamel shell, around which, :ind inside the outward shell, is a thick fluid, which remains during the life of the tooth, becoming, by degrees, gray matter. This fluid averages about four lines in depth in the lower incis- ors and about eight in the upper ones. ■The outer edge of each incisor always rises a line or two above the inner edge ; therefore, when the upper and lower are first grated together, only the outer edges touch for some time ; and the inner edges do not touch until the outer ones are worn down to an equal height with them. Horse-teeth generally do this in about one year. At the age of two and a half, the teeth begin to change, and those which then appear are called Ilori^c-teMh. (See chart. Fig. 7, A). A full grown stallion or gelding has 40, and a mare 36 teeth — the male having four hook teeth which are lacking in the female, except that some- times she has imperfect teeth in the corres])onding i)art of the mouth. Those teeth found in som(^3•oung horses, ne.vt to the first double teeth, and called "wolf's teeth," are not included in this numl)er, as thev are not real teeth, — frequently not brc:iking through tiie gums at all, and usuallv, in any cas(^, disappearing in eight or nine years. Twenty-four of the true teeth, in both horses and mares, are situated in the upper part of the mouth, (that is, in l)oth jaws, above the lipn). They are divided into six doul)le pairs, counting upwards from below, so that those situated next to the incisors in all the four rows are first ; those next to them, second; and so on to the last pair, which are called back teeth. Twelve others are in the lower part of the mouth, surrounded })v the lips, six in the upper and six in the lower jaw, standing, each lot, in the form of an arch, and occujn'ing the entrance to the holloM' of the niontli. These twelve are called incisors. The four innermost, two in each jaw those forming the key of each arch — are called nippers ; the other two in each arch are called corner teeth ; and those between the nippers and the corner teeth are called middle teeth. Each of these teeth in the lower jaw rubs against the corresponding one in the upper jaw. The teeth of the upper jaw are broader and thicker than those of the lower. The four 84 ILLlSTliATKl) srofK DOl TOK. Inioks arc si'ati'd aloiii', ovor each covikt tootli, Imt nearer to tlie corner teeth of tlic lli)pel' than those of tlie lower, so that tliev, (tlle liooks), nevei- come in contact with each othi'r. Tlie horse has always attained the age of fonr and a half or tive years before he has a full nnniln'r of perfect teeth. Before this time, the yoime'er tlu' animal the fewer the teeth, and even these are not all piTma- nent . The more a permanent incisctr loses in lenfith, liy friction, the more it also h)ses in width, so that the nearer tiie friction surface approaches to the root, the narrower and thicker it must appear. Every new hook tooth is cylindrical and somewhat hooki-d, with a cone- shajjcd proji'i'tinii'iirinder, and this is surrounded hy a spoon-shaped edge, turned toward the hollow of the mouth, so that the cone cannot he seen from the outside ; anil the whole grinder, or hard, enamelled part, has the appearance of the hai'k part of the bowl of a spoon — the edge, like a screen, surrounding the short cone, l)ut so tiiat two deej) furrows remam between. Kxcept this grinder, the ri'st of the body is unifonnly round, and the surface almost even. As previously said, however, these by themselves afford no reliable indication as to age. Figures 2, 3, 4, .">, (> show how the age of a colt may l)c determined till he is two years old. 'I'he following further explanations, taken hi conniM'tion with the chart fr(nn Fig. 7 to Fig. Kl, inclusive, will teach how the age, from two to thirty, can be ascertaintnl. Large horses have, of I'ourse, larger teeth than small ones ; but taldng a horse of medium size as a standard, one can nnike allowances for either larger or snudler. and easily arrive at just eoni'lusions. The incisors In'ing our main reliance, our remarks must be understood to refer ehietly to them. The length of the tooth of a horse of medium size is three inches, or thirty-six lines. After the changed tooth has arrived at its proper leng-th, if s/ioots up a h'lie regularly every year, and if the teeth stand right, f/ie (/rinder is woru off a line everi/ year. It is also, as has been said, worn off in both width and breadth, so that the srrinder becomes, from year to year, shorter and smaller, as shown by the I'hart . If. however, the tc<'th stand too far forward, (irregulai- teeth, see chart. Fig. 11 ). they do not wear down in the sam(> propoilion as they shoot upward, and they become very long. The age in this case can be ascertained with ease and exactness by observing directions givin under Fig. 41, ai\d noticing with care the following points : At the age of tive years, the corner ti'cth of the lower jaw have grown u}) tive lines above the gum: each middle tooth, seven lines; and each nipper, nine. At eight years, and older, each corner tooth of the same horse projects only^ IIIK ll(ll;>K, lir.s ACE, ll(»\\ lO IKI.I, IT. Ho four, tlic iiiidillc tci'tli, six, uiid tlie nippers, ciuht lines above tlie ijunis. This is altsolulely noeessaiy to b(^ taken into aeeount, beeausc it is the only means by whieli one can decide with eei-tainty as to the age of a horse whose teeth have become Ioniser than they would have been if set riyhj:ir( ilJbiio-ii(>)t.-ri, , / "' «>)uiiiJ-.)Mi Hli ._ - 'ii) 'ult f.ifoii' \\ •nif .y.i' T.. ,.., ifhijol- ■ 7/1 -Jo •. COLT'S TEETH. .V, e ^g® Of a. Xlorse f xorcL e l^orx tto-s to ZB ■gea x^ ,,, tho mUldlo IPCth, n»«l ' li:it tho inm'v cJgo o* ^'*'' 'n. O. THOMPSON & CO., PublEhef*^ **• '■°"'^' ""° ~M Cb«pti' HI /»!■ apr»"o""» »/ "" und /"rtlier /ocU «»«.rn.,,j «, ^ „,. ,;„, /:^' Milt to ; tno/. ^,, .•(,: ,lt-l'.t Ti c; '^o -rrv'l fowovl ■.■U.M[([J. III <)J i>riiit nh 7.f ' *f*"' '= "^'^ "J' ,.[) iia;i/ ^1,,-, 1,1,1 -Iff i "mM ii i uuittiuaaLu Es CHAPTER IV. DEFTERENT BREEDS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS. I. THE INFERIOR VARIETIES: MANY FOnND IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. SOME GOOD, BUT LITTLE KNOWN OF THEM. II. SOME CONSIDERED AS TO WORK RATHER THAN BREED; THE FARM HORSE; THE HUNTER; THE HACKNEY; HORSES FOR HEAVY DRAFT. III. THE ARABIAN. IV. THE BARB. V. THE ENGLISH THOROUGHBRED. VI. THE PERSIAN. VII. THE TURK. VIII. THE TURKOMAN. IX. THE EGYPTIAN. X. THE DONGOLA. XI. THE NORMAN PERCHERON. XII. THE THOROUGHBRED IN AMER- ICA.-^ XIII. TpE MORGAN. Xr\'. THE NARRAGANSETT PACER. XV. THE CANA- DIAN. XVI. THE CONNESTOGA. XVII. PONIES. :" I. The Inferior and Little Known. Among the great variety of horses there are man}' that are either of inferior importance or so little known that it is deemed unnecessary to notice them in detail. India, China, Japan, Siam, several of the Euro- pean States, and North and South America, have horses that are in some instances widely different from each other, as well as from the approved breeds ; but the}' are not known to possess any remarkable excellence, or any distinctive points that are constantly reproduced in their offspring, — so that a mere casual reference to them, ■\\ith very general statements as to qualities and characteristics, is considered to be sufficient. In India alone there are various stocks, known to have been so long in the various regions of that gi-eat country as to seem native to the soil ; but ^^^th the exception of the Turko, recognized to be a cross between the Turkoman or South Tartary breed and the Persian, they are regarded as cold blooded and inferior. The Turko is said to carry himself in a grand and stately way, and to be both beautiful and tractable. The Tartar and Calmuck horses, with the exception of the Turkoman, Mhich is described elsewhere in this chapter, are for the most part small and ill-made. They are hardy, however, being able to perform great journeys, with burdens disproportioned to their size, and to live on the poorest fare. 38 lI.USTItAI'Kl) STOCK !>()( TOIJ. TIu' lioi-scs of China arc small, aiul lia\r no jioints of cxcclli'nco as to oitluT slia|)c Of spirit. 'I'iu' lioi'si's of 'I'nrUrstan liavo hoi'n di'scrilu'd iiy sonu' as lia\ ing lu'iivy ln'ails and I'wc-iu'cUs, with h)ng logs aiul a scanty body : while others spcaU of high crests and long, bony hoilit's, and assert tiu'se horses crossi'd with those of Persia, produce inagnifieont animals — elegant, active, strong, and larger than the best Arabians. In Bokhara is a l)reed of small and shaggy but stout horses, called Knssaks, which has attracted some attention. Their manes anil tails arc long as coni[)ared with their general make up. Helgium, Holland, and the (icrnian states have breeds of horses noted only, or chietly at least, for being largi-, strong, and well-formed, and admirably adapted to purposes of heavy draft. in the forests of Sweden, Finland, and Norw.-iy is found a rai'C of horses in a half wild state, from which tiie inhabitants, without taking u|)on themselves the trouble of bri'i'ding and rearing, supply themselves wluMi the crcatui'cs arc wanted for use. Tlu'y are small, luil wcll-formeti, active, and spirited. The llun<:arian horse, though evidently of the same origin as those of (icrmanv, is somewhat lighter than they, and (josscsscs more spirit and action. He shows some signs of oriental blood, to which he probably owes his superiority to his neighbors. The horses of Iceland run at large and pick up their own scanty fare, wherever thev can tind it. until they are needed by the inhabitants, when thev arc cauirht and subjected to use. The origin of these animals is in doul)t. Some assert that th(>ir i)rogenitors were carried into that island from the forests of Sweden; others, that they were of the stock of ponies found in the Scottish isles. They are small, but active, and gen- erally well disposed. The horses of Italv were formerly much better than now. Few of thcni niav at iiresent be regarded as j)ossessing any striking excellenoe. Thcr>' a-e >aiil to be some, among the people of Naples, that are large, of tine appearance, and excellent as carriage horses. The French petiple have many breeds, adapted to the saddle, the light carriaiiv, cavalry, and light artillery, besides those that are re(|uired for the plow and the cart. The most famous antong them is the Norman, or Norman Percheron, which is described elsewhere in this chapter. The fait is well established that the horses of Siiain. previous to the I^Ioorish connuest, were i)ossessed of many noble nualities ; but thev Avere much improved by a mixture of liarb blood, conseiiuent upon the invasion and the introduction of horses from the Harbary States. They TIIK IlOliSK, DiriKKK.N'l' liliKKKS, KTf. 39 .still s1k)w liotli tlicir ()i-iiriii.il iiii'l dciivL-d oxccllciiccs ; und :i puic-ldood 8]):inisli IJnrI) is ,i fine and beautiful creature. In the plains of South America, Mexico, Texas, and th(^ Western Territories of the United States ai-e found <:reat herds of wild 1ioim>, of which there an; diffenuit varieties, though they must iiave iiad a common origin, as we hav(r stated in chapter I. Cliance mixture with horses iinjioi-ted into the countiy sul).se()uently to those brought from Spain, toiicthc r willi tlie influences of different climates and food to which they have long Ix-en subject, may perhaps account for this. The most marked types of tlie^' wild Americans are the Mustang and the Indian ponies, which are noticed on succeeding pages. As a general thing they retain the striking characteristics of their old Spanish or Andalusian progenitors ; in size, shape, and spirit they sliow whence they are derived. Their lieads are prclt\ and their limbs clean. They an; capable of great endurance ; and though not especially rajjid in action, it is related of them tiiat they ai'c sometimes ridden at the rate of t<'n or twelve miles an hoMi- for a stretch of /;■/// lior.^f cannot, of course, be confined to any particular l)reed. If he combines within himself certain desiral)ie (|iialities, it is not pertinent to in(|iiire particularly what blood he carries. Some points that should distinguish him ma}^ be thus enumerated: He should be close-built and strong, but not gross and clumsy, since he is to serve as a sort of horse of all work — doing duty, by turns, under the saddle, and before the plow, the farm-wagon and the carriage. 40 ILLUSTIUTK.P KTOCK UUCTOR, THE HOUSE, DIFKEUEXT HKKEUS, ETC. 41 Fiftci'ii to .sixteen liaiids iiiiirk the proper .stature ; and his limbs should be sinewy without absolute heavine.ss, while hi.s feet .should be of medium size. He should be reasonably s|)rin<>y under the saddle, and active-, without dash, in light harness. To these he should add a certain thriftiness, that will enable him to appear well even under good, close work, if well treated ; and in temper he should be mild. His breaking in and training should have been such as to render him readily adaptable to any work tiiat lie may be called upon to perform about the country home. The Inivtrr, or horse for the chase, .speaking with reference to a ])astime which is still common in England, but to which little or no importance is attached in this country, is usually the better esteemed for iiuving some blood, but more for the absolute feats of .speed and leaping which he may be al)le to perform, and for his ability to stand a hard day's run. The best hunters ai'e said to be a combination of the thorough-bred with some coarser animal — producing more .strength, sub.stance, and hardihood, with les.s length of body. He is at the present time what may l)e called three-quarter.s bred ; and he is lighter and more fleet than formerly. The acc()mj)anying engraving, entitled "A light hunting horse," conveys an excellent idea of what he is now most commouly found to be. That is to say, a horse of good style and form, capable of long con- tinued exertion under the weight of an ordinary sized man, and also capable of showing as high a rate of speed as possible, combined with an aptitude to leap successfully such obstacles as may ordinarily interpose. In all this class of horses, whether they be light or heavy Aveight animals, blood — that is, the possessor of a fair amount of thorough blood as trans- mitted by thorough-bred sire.s — is al)solutely necessary. It gives style, form, hard and fine bones, muscular tissue, lung power, and all this means endurance to pei'form feats -under which the cold blooded horse would soon succumb. Such a horse as the engraving shows will not only make a capital saddle horse, but also a most valuable horse for general utility, if properly broken, good for the light carriage and buggy and good also at a load if pi'opevly trained and handled ; but let it always be remembered that iu as much as you put a saddle horse, and especially a hunting horse, to labor, you detract from his value in the field. 42 ILIASTKATEI) IST()("IC OOCTOI!. r)iirin\ m. ■mil' prodijrious leaps while earrving a heavy weiack to the days and the stables of Solomon. While this cannot be credited, it is known that some of them have written pedigrees for at least four hundred years, kejit with the most extreme care, and alwa)^s on the side of the mare. These animals are sometimes sold to foreigners ; but they bear almost fal)ulous prices, and it is believed to be a very rare thing for a true Kochlani to fall into the hands of a stranger. The striking points of the pure Arab may be thus stated : In size, he is considerably smaller than the modern thorough-lired, scarcely ever exceeding in height fourteen and a half hands. His head is extraordinary for its ])eauty, — the forehead being broad and squai-e, the muzzle short and tine, so that some of them seem as though they could really "stick their noses into a tumbler." The face, upon which the veins appear THE HOUSK, DIFrKliKNT lilJEEUS, ETC. 49 beautifully cour.sed, is liouy ; the nostrils are wide ; the well-set ears are small, while the eyes are large, prominent and brilliant. The neck, rising beautifully from the shoulders, and well arched, is very fine ; the withers are high and modi'rately thin ; the shoulder, inelining l)aekward, is perfect in form and position — nmscular as well as finely shaped. The body is light and narrow before ; but I)ehind tiie arms the chest is exijanded and affords sufficient capacity for the lungs ; the hips, though somewhat narrow, are well united to the back, and the quarters are strong, muscular, and well set. The legs are small, flat, sinewy ; the pasterns are oblique iu their position ; the croup is high, while the tail is set on with considerable arch. The nmscles of the arm, like those of the ham, are full and strong. The bones of the leg are large in propor- tion to the size, thei"e being no superfluous fatty matter, but full, free, strong, and clean tendons and suspensory ligaments. The hocks are large, but free from both curbs and spavins ; while the feet are small and sound. The ell)ow joint is prominent but fine, and gencrall}- plays clear of the body. Especially does the Arab differ from other breeds in the suj)erior fineness of his muzzle ; the somewhat hollowed but graceful face ; the fully developed jaws that A'et give no imjjression of heaviness ; the beau- tif ulll' pricked and exquisite shape of the ear ; the conspicuous neatness of the leg below the knee ; and the beautiful make of the hind quarters. The fleetest among them are also noted for a straight-dropped hind leg, which is always regarded as. a good point. A true Arabian has been described as ' ' looking the gentleman all over, with a bearing as stately as that of an autocrat." In spirit he is as noble as in his physical formation. Though kind and docile when with his native master, he is sensitive and full of spirit, and when excited is so indomital)lc that he would run or pull to the death rather than yield. With a cruel master he is apt to become in a measure ungovernable ; but his intelligence is such that proper treatment will soon win his confidence and remove a vicious -liabit. His sagacit}' is as remarkable as his susceptibilit}' to kind treatment. Instances are not wanting in which his master, overcome by the heat of the desert, and lost in a lethargic sleep, has been watched over by his faithful animal, and guarded from the approach of man and beast. The colors mostly prevalent among them are bay, gray, and chestnut. Occasionally a black is found. He is not so swift as the best English, French, and American coursers ; nor is it here that his great excellence must be sought. That arises from a combination of qualities, to some of which the best of other breeds are whollv strangers. 50 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. He is peculiarly adapted to that waste and barren country, and to the uses for which he is prized b}- the wandering tribes. The food and drink upon ^\'hich he can live and perform great journeys would be wholly inad- equate to the keeping of one of ours which we are pleased to call thrifty. As has been said, this remarkatjle stock has long maintained its essen- tial purity ; nor does it show, in recent times, any tendency to degenerate. Those good Arabians that are offered for sale to British residents and other horse dealers in the markets of Bengal and Bombay command prices ranging from seven hundred and fifty to one thousand dollars ; and it is said by travelers that their best mares are seldom if ever sold. IV. The English Thorough-bred. We have already referred to different varieties of English horses, some of which have had more or less influence upon those of our own country ; but the most excellent and famous of all is the thorough-bred, or race- horse, descended chiefly from imported Arabians, Barbs, and Turks. The animal known to-day as the real English thorough-bred is perhaps of almost purely eastern origin. His excellences are derived, it is thought, from an admixture of various pure breeds, native to those regions to which the noblest of the race are indigenous, so far as either history or tradition determines. Arabia, Syria, Persia, Turkestan, Nubia, Abys- sinia, and the Barbary States, all have breeds closely connected with each other, and yet possessing different characteristics ; but the English race- horse is a superior animal to any of them ; and his blood cannot now be improved by crossing with any known stock. There seems to be in him a larger mixture of the Barb than of any other breed ; but the earliest and most celebrated importations into Eng- land were Arabians. Much attention has long been paid there to the improvement of racing stock. The minds of Englishmen were most probably turned to this by the a(!cession of the Norman Conquerors ; at any rate, soon after the Normans were estalilished in the island, the first Arabian of which any record has been preserved was imported. This was in 1121, during the reign of Henry I. Then, an authenticated case of importation from Arabia took place in the reign of James I. Tliis horse was condemned, not having met the popular exi^ectation ; but the true value of eastern blood began now to be appreciated, and the White Turk was soon brought over ; then a horse known as the Helmesley Turk ; soon afterward, Fairfax's Morocco Barb. The interest in the improve- ment of racing stock then so activeh' manifested has never suffered more than a temporary abatement, and in no other country than in England has such success been attained. During the troul)lous times consequent upon the overthrow of Charles I. and the accession of the Puritans to THE HORSE, DIFFEKENT BKEEDS', ETC. 51 power, there seems to have been a dceliiie ; but a love of racinir, and a corresponding desire to produce the best horses for this purpose, was revived upon the restoration of Chark's II. to the throne. This prince himself sent to the east to purchase brood mares and stallions, but he r>-2 ILLl'STUATKl) f^TOCK DOCTOR. affccti'd cliiotl^- Barbs and Turks. Many of liis wealthior subjects engaged in like enterprise on tlieir own jirivate account. But the most nuirlied improvement of Englisli stock followed the introduction into that country of the Darle}' Arabian, a fine and vigorous .stallion imported during the latter part of Queen Anne's reign by one Mr. Darley. Several horses of groat repute descended from him, of which the most noted were Almanzer, Flying Childer.s, and Bartlett's Childers ; and from the Childers, besides numerous others, of more or less celel)rity, Childers, Blaze, Samson, Snap, and Eclipse deserve special mention. Of the last named, it is recorded that though he was thick- winded or what is termed a " roarer," he never lost a race and never paid a forfeit ; and that three hundred and thirty-four of his descendants jjrovcd to be winning horses. During the reign of Louis XIV., of France, and when the Arabian stock, the descendants of the Darley, were already in high repute, a horse called the Godolphin Arabian, but which was really a beautiful Barb, of excellent spirit and action, was rescued by one Mr. Coke from the igno- ble employment of drawing a cart in the streets of Paris, (where his striking characteristics seem to have been wholly overlooked), and carried to England. He is said to have been about fifteen hands high, of a brown color, and to have been distinguished by the height of his crest and for round and drooping (juarters. From him is descended nuich of the finest racing l)]ood in England. We have spoken of the thorough-bred as a pure-blooded horse ; and though this ought doubtless to be understood M'ith some limitations, as even in the best of the stock there is probably some tinge of old Eng- lish and Spanish blood ; yet, such has been the great care bestowed upon him that he is regarded as " the eastern horse brought to the very highest state of perfection." It is certain that, as previously remarked, he is in some respects superior to the best of the original breeds. This has been brought about by long continued careful attention to breeding, to feed- ing, to all those points, in fact, necessary to the elimination of vicious strains and the preservation and improvement of those qualities that tend to Ihe one great end in view — fleetness, with a corresponding power of endurance. The climate of England is said to be peculiarly favorable to the horse -, and this influence has perhaps contributed something to the making of the English racer a pre-eminently tine and much admired animal. The following may be regarded as his distinguishing points : His chest is his one and only nwrk of superior strength ; this is ■wide and deep. His body is round, his flanks and belly light. His ears are fine ; his eyes prominent ; his nostrils are wide ; his lips are small and thin, while he is remarkably' Avide between the jaws. He has a long and THE IIOKSE, UIFFEKENT BliEEUIS, ETC. 53 fiue neck, to whicli ii thin iiuiiie lies close. His withers arc uncommonly thin and liiuii ; his l)ack is low at the withers, then straifjlit to the haunches. Measured from the haunches to the turn of the rump, he is long ; from the turn of the rump to llie tip of the hock he is long and thin. lie has great power of springing, to force himself forward, by reason of his legs standing rather under the body than erect. His buttocks rarely touch each other; his legs below the knee and hock are small, and the cords stand out conspicuously. His tail is slight and thin-haii'ed, sometimes slightly waved ; the hair of his legs is very fine ; he has no fetlock tufts, and his hoof is small and cupped. His color is generally lia}', brown, or chestnut ; his height varies from tifteen to seventeen hands. His coat is thinner and the hair more silky than in common breeds. The soundness of feet and legs, and the powers of endurance, which characterize the Arab, have been transmitted to the thorough-bred ; and while the latter is not himself Mell suited to heavy harness work, or indeed to any of the general purposes of the farmer, animals are often obtained ])Y judicious ci'osses with him which are admirably adapted to various usi's. He is valued solely for the turf, and for light single draft, except, as we have before remarked, for the improvement of the general stock of horses by admixture ; and for this latter purpose we are largely dejierident upon him in America as well as in Great Britain. V. The Barb. The horse of the Barbary States has long been known for his excellent qualities ; and he is especially remarkal)le for fine and graceful action. His ])owers of transmission are great, so that his marked traits are found in his descendants at remote periods and after commixture of various and inferior breeds. He has impressed himself pailicuhirly upon the Spanish horse and the English racing stock. It is thought that the horses of Spain owe all their excellences to Barb blood, which was brought into that country by the Moors, at the time of the concjuest. The Barb is found chiefly in Morocco, Fez, and Tripoli, and with the exception of an excellent species found in the kingdom of Bournon, he is the only African horse deserving of special mention. The horse of Bournon is represented by some as being superior to both the Arabian and the Barb. In addition to what has Ijeen said in those sections in which we have treated of the Arabian and the thorough-bred, the following description of the Barb will be sufficient to convey to the mind of the reader what a true horse of this breed really is : 54 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. In height, he is from fourteen to fifteen hands ; his chest is round ; his shoulders are broad, but light, and somewhat obliquely sloping ; his withers are thin and rather high ; his loins are straight and shoit ; his flanks and i-ibs are round and well developed ; his haunches are strong ; his croup is somewhat too long for nice correspondence Math the rest of the body ; his quarters are muscular and full ; his legs are clean, and the tendons are clearly marked ; his i^asterns, like his croup, are some- what too long and slanting, but not so much so as to amount to real defect ; and his feet are sound and of good shape. But his head is especially beautiful. It is small and lean, while the ears are of medium size and admirably placed. The mane is i-ather meager ; but the neck rises boldly from the withers, and gives an impression of ease and grace in carriage. In spirit and fleetness he is not regarded as the equal of the Arab, much less of the real thorough-bred ; but in a certain native ■vigor and in form he is superior. VI. The Persian. No traveler to whose writings we have access in this country has sufficiently described the horses of Persia to enable us to point out with exactness the difference between the inferior and the better breeds that are known to exist in that country. The term the Persian horse is ordinarily applied to the most excellent of all, which has been celebrated for hundreds of years longer than the Arabian. At the pi-esent day, he has a large proportion of Arab blood in his veins. As a general thing, he is somewhat taller than the Arabians ; and in beauty and speed he is their equal ; but his powers of endurance are not so great. VII. The Turkish. This horse is believed to be descended from the best stock of Arabs, — crossed, however, with some breed that has given him greater proportions than his ancestors ; at any rate, the Turkish horse of to-day is full sixteen hands high, often more ; and he is more muscular than the Ai-ab, though still of elegant appearance, clean limbed and active. It is asserted by some that he is descended from Arabs and Persians ; and it is known that he possesses many of the best qualities of these stocks. Thouah strong and of sufficient spirit, he is docile, and well adapted to domestic uses. An arched neck, ^^•ith a high crest, is a striking characteristic of the breed. Vm. The Turkoman. As we have said elsewhere, none of the Tartar breeds exce^Jt the Turko- THK HOHSK, DIKKEKKNT ISliEEDS, ETC. 55 ni:m or South Tiirtary lioisc arc worth}' to be rated among the better class of animals. He is famous for purity of blood, for good speed, and for woiulorful powers of endurance. It is related that one of them has l)een known f(i travel nine hundred miles, bearing a rider, in eleven successive days. He is not really ii graceful animal, however, as his head is rather large, and his legs are long in i)ropoi1:ion to his height, which is from fifteen to sixteen hands. Other domesticated horses among the Tartars are evidently of the sanu! brciid as the wild horses which are found in various parts of the country and in imnu-nse numbers, as the characteristics of the wild are exhibited in a nnirked nnmner in the domesticated. Indeed, it is known fliat these Mild herds are often drawn upon for recruits when necessity drives the inhabitants to add to their stock of s(;rA'iceable animals. All thesis inferior creatnri's are small and narrow ; they have long necks, app.niiitly weak legs, large iicads, and light barrels. The prevailing color is a reddish sorrel, with a black stripe along the back. Their manes and tails are black, except at the roots, where the hairs preserve this reddish cast. Their general appearance is rough and inelegant ; but they are of the most hardy nature ; and, contrary to appearance, they are rapid travelers. They live and even perform long and arduous journeys upon the sparsest and poorest food. IX, The Egyptian. It is repi'escnted by some who have devoted more than ordinary care to the study of the origin of breeds, and to the horse in his relations to various peoples and countries, that the horse of the ancient Eg^^^tians was identical with an inferior race that afterward existed among the Assyrians. Some sculjjtui'es, found among the ruins of Nineveh, care- fully executed and well preserved, portray a horse wholly different from that nobler animal carved in other bas-reliefs found in the same ruins. He is said to have bec-n the Egyptian horse ; and as thus conveyed to us, he was a large and heavy animal, having a coarso and ill-proportioned head, but a high crest. The modern Egyjjtian is also of unjjleasing aspect. From wheresoever derived, he is rough and ugly. Frequently his legs, knees and neck become positive defects ; but a good head is occasionally found. He would scarcely be deserving of mention were it not that he is spirited and impetuous ; and this, together with his weight, renders him valuable for heavy cavalry, in which capacity he has won some celebrity. His powers of endurance are not great. X. The Dnngola. This horse is also entitl(;d to consideration chictly upon the ground of 56 ILHSTUATEU STOCK DOCTOR. his heinj; sreatlv prized as a war horse. Unlike the Egyptian, however, he has not only speed but powers of endurance ; and some have described hiui as both beautiful and tractable. Yet, even those who have had opportunities for personal observation do not agree in their descriptions and their estimates. One speaks of him as being deticient in substance and wanting in stoutnesss ; while another thinks him to possess the highest type of symmetry, size, and strength. From another we get this more particular description : In height, he is full sixteen hands ; his body is short ; his neck is long and slim ; he has a tine crest ; and his withers are high and sharp ; but his breast is narrow, his ([uartcrs and flanks arc flat, and he has a rather ugly back. He is found in the kingdom of Dongula and in adjacent regions. Wild Horse of America. That the horse existed in America at some far distant epoch is undeni- able since the fossil remains found prove this conclusively, and progress- ing naturally from age to age into more and more perfectly developed types. Yet at the discovery of America at the several points l)y the early navigators, no mention is made of nati\'e horses, as would surely have been done if such had been known to the Indians. America is undoubtedly indebted for her wild or feral horses which have roamed the great valleys of the Pacific slope, the immense plains of the "West and South-west, and the grassy portions of Mexico, to the early Spanish adventurers on the Pacific slope, as were the wild horses of the great plains and of Texas to the horses abandoned by De Soto when he turned his face eastward towards the Mississippi, after having abandoned his search for the fountain of youth and the new Eldorado. So Mexico and the Isthmus were stocked with horses in like manner, for it is futile to suppose that the increase of horses escaping from the Spanish conquer- ors of South America would have made their way northwai'd through interminable and tangled forests, and mountain fastnesses, but that rather thev would have betaken them to the pampas, which in reality they did. Tlius in a comparatively short time they covered most areas of country with immense droves, in reality as wild and as free as though they had always existed there. That the facts ai'c as we have stated, is patent from the fact that the produce resembles in many close characteristics the Spanish and Andalu- sian horses of the eaily Spanish adventurers, as did those found wild in New Foundland resemble the French horse of that period ; as does the Canadiin pony of the present day, although diminished in size from insuf- fiticnt food and the inclemencies of the climate through the long ufcncrations which have passed since their introduction into Acadia in 160i, and into Canada four years later. THE HOKSK, nilTEKENT liKEEDS, ETC XI. The Norman Percheron. 57 Amoiijj; the striking and useful breeds, no horse has attracted more attention (hn-inoniling de- crease, till at last the effort to preserve the pacer as a distinct breed ceased altoirether. At the present day. though tlu> influence of the Narratrausett Pacer upon !S'ew Enirland horses is in many instances perceptible, he is no longer known in his former purity. The Veriront Draft Horse. Vermont has given the United States one of the two celebrated families of draft horses, than which few of the breeds have combined greater ex- cellence. Animals with lofty crests, thin withers, short backed, round barrelled, close ribbed, clean and sinewy limbed, that would at lirst be taken for ponies. Standing next to them they would be found to be six- teen hands high and over, and on the scales they would tilt the lever at from ll.">0 to 1:?.")0 pounds. Of their origin but little is known, but it is more than probable that the old Suffolk cart horse, imported into Massa- chusetts in 18:?1, the Cleveland bay, brought there in 1825, and the thor- ough-bred horses introduced in 1828, bred upon the best conunon mares of the country, have produced a class of horses, the lighter ones of which were driven to the stage coaches of thirty to lifty years ago, as they have seldom been driven in any other hill coxmtry. The heavier specimens of which furnished the best heavy team horses in the country, not excepting the Conestoga, a horse fully a hand higher, and admirable in every respect for heavy draft, as we used to see them, in the great six and seven horse teams coming from the mountains of Pensylvania through to New York. It is to be regretted that the furor over the Morgans since that time has caused the Vermont di'aft horse to become quite rare so that now it is rather ditficult to tiud a good specimen of the breed as it once existed. THE HOKSE, DII'KEItENT BKEEUS, ETC. 65 XV. The Canadian. This horso, when pure, is entitled to l)e considered di-tiiict. He can lay no eiiiini, of course, to hein' marked animal, of great powers of transmission. The distinguishing ciiaracterislics may l)e stated as follows: 'I'lie average height is al)out fourteen hands ; the; body is solid, com])a(lly ])ut tog(!ther, but somewhat inclined to flatness of side ; the head is rather large for a horse of the height stated, l>ut it is well formed and l(!an, so that it does not ai)pear out of pro])oi-tion and cumbersome ; the forehead is broad ; the ears are wide apart, and carried well up ; the eye is small and clear, and has a liold expression ; the chest is broad and full ; the shoulder is strong, but inclining to be straight and rather low and heavy at the withers ; the loins are fine ; the croup round and fleshy ; the thighs iftuscular ; the legs comparatively heavy and joints pretty large, but the bones are flat, and no race of horses has sounder and more powerful limbs ; and none can equal the Canadian as to feet — these being tough, hard, iron-like, and free from disease, even under the most unfavorable circumstances. This seems to be one of his most valuable characteristics of body. Bad handling, awkward shoeing, hard travel — nothing in the bounds of reason seems to affect his fc^et. Dis(!ases of tliis jiai-l are almost absolutely unknown. The mane and tail are peculiar, being very heavy, and in almost all cases, wavy. The bark sin(!ws arc; shaggy-coated, nearly to the knee, and the fetlocks are long. The prevailing color is })lack ; but browns and chestnuts are fre(iucnfly found ; sometimes sorrels and duns, having manes and tails lightei- tiiaii the body. Occasionally there may be found a dark iron-gray, with black legs. Canadians are long-lived, easily-kept, and ca])al)le of the greatest endurance. They are heavy enough for the puqioses of thd farmer ; and as roadsters, while thev are not to be regarded as rapid travelers, they maintain a reasonable rate of speed, say six miles an hour, for long jour- (!() ILHSTKATEU .STOCK DOCTOR. ucys and continuously, and this while carrying a heavy weight. It is nothing uncommon for them to do fifty miles a day for many days in succession ; and some have been known to do seventy, eighty, even ninety miles, at a single stretch of one da}'. The breed is widely spread, but chiefly in a mixed state, (inferior to the true Canadian in almost every instance), in the Northern and Eastern States. Few horses are entitled to more consideration at the hands of those who would obtain the liest medium-sized and easily-kept animals for the farm, and for medium heavy and moderateh' rapid draft. XVI. The Connestoga. A somewhat peculiar ly)rse of all-work, said to have originated as a distinct stock in the valley of Connestoga. They are believed to be descended from Flemish and Danish cart-horses brought over by the early German settlers of this part of the counti-y, with a probable admix- ture of the ordinary draft horse in common use in the German States at that day. There is, however, no record of the origin of the breed, and all speculation may be at fault. They resemble for the most part the Flemish horse, especially in color, all the prevailing Flemish colors except black being found among them in like proportion. The Connestoga is a tall horse, often seventeen hands high ; l)ut his liml)s are light for his height, and he is not inclined to be full of flesh, having a muscular rather than a fatty heaviness, so that he is very power- ful in proportion to his weight. He is used chiefly for wagons, canal boats, and hea\y carriages, for which jjurposes he is both strong and quick enough. He is less distinct than formerly, and no pains arc taken to preserve the breed as such. XVII. Ponies. The small, or pony breeds, are numerous ; but the only ones deserving special mention are the Shetlands, the Indian, and the Mexican Mustang. The former is the most distinct and best type of the ponies of the Old World, while the Indian and the Mustang are the chief, if not the only native kinds, known among us. There are ponies somewhat similar to the Shetlands in th*^ northern parts of Sweden and of Iceland, in Wales, and on the southwestern coast of England. All these little animals seem to have originated in latitudes to which the horse is not native, and to be dwarfed descendants of large and powerful progenitors. Noticing first the Shetlands, those of most perfect form, though of THE HORSE, DIFFERENT BREEDS, ETC. (57 small size, are found in the exti'eme northern isles of Yell and Unst. In height, they do not average more than nine or ten hands ; and many are found that do no exceed seven and a half. It is held that no true Shetland can be so tall as eleven hands. In form they are round and ♦in ILLUSTKATKD STOCK DOCTOK. fl(i.soly ril)l)ed up; the head is mcU shaped — lean and bun}', wide in the hrow, sometimes shghtly basin-faced, like the Arab ; the ears are very small, well placed, are carried erect; the eyes are large and bright, Avith a fine look of intelligence ; the neck is short and thick, and covered with a great mass of coarse niaue ; the shoulder is sloping, thick, and having little elevation at the wathers ; the loins are broad but linoly formed ; the quarters are well made, but not large in proportion to other parts ; the back is gently curving, with never any tendency towards what is called sway-back ; the legs and feet are of excellent shape, and of the most powerful texture, so that the Shetlander is a stranger to all those diseases of the feet and legs to which many horses are subject, and a lame Shetland is almost unknown ; the tail, like the mane, is of great volume. When roaming wild they live on the poorest fare, and are exjiosed to all the inclemencies of the seasons. When they cannot pick up their scanty subsistence upon the uplands, by reason of the snows of winter, they betake themselves to the sea shore and live ui)on kelp and sea weed. When taken by the peasants of those localities which they most inhaliit, and reduced to subjection, they still require but little food and little care. Then" endurance is very great ; and though they are of course incapable of great speed, they will carry weights largely disproportioned to their size, and keep up a uniform [lacc of from four to live miles an hour throughout the day, accomplishing forty, even lift}' miles between morning and evening with apparent ease. They are gentle, affectionate, easily trained, and as children's horses, and for all other purposes for which a pony can be at all serviceable, they are the best of all found in either hemisphere. The prevailing colors are black, brown, and a dark sorrel. The Mexican Mustang, one of the most widely known and distinct of American ponies, is found chiefly op. the prairies of Texas and Mexico. His origin is doubtful ; though it is aflirmed that notwithstanding his dfminutive size, and some striking points of degeneracy, there is clear indication of Spanish oi-igin. It is difficult, however, to account for the difference between liim and other wild horses, that discover in size as well as in general formation that they are the descendants of animals left or lost upon the American continent by the early Spanish discoverers and conquerors. These jionies are undersized ; of very slight limbs : often ugly and dis- proportionatelv made ; \\\X\\ long neck, long back, and long, slender and weak jiosteriors. Their hoofs are often badly formed, tending to flatness and irregular^tw Their luwds, howexer, though long, are lean, well shaped, and wellset ; and theii nostrils are wide. Their manes and THE HORSE, DIFFERENT BREEDS, ETC. 69 tails are fine. They have some activity and spirit, and are sometimes vicious, but not difficult to subdue. In a wild state, they are easily out- winded by well-trained horses of the larger breed** ; l)ut domestication seems to have the effect of improving their powers of endurance, as they do good service for the Comanche Indians as a cavalry horse — carrying those warriors, and enabling them successfully to evade the pursuit of well-trained United States cavalry. Almost every color is found among thein. The Indian Pony, another American, is thought to be a degenerated Norman — having sprung from liorses of that stock brought to Canada by the first French emigrants, and allowed by some means to escape into the forests, as was the case vnih. certain Andalusians farther south. Wandering, from generation to generation, in those cold regions, and under circumstances altogether unfavorable to the production of generous growth, they have become dwarfed and in other particulars modified as to form. They seem in their present state to be a perfectly distinct animal ; and they possess many points of excellence. They are found in the upper IMississippi country, on the borders of Canada, and west of the great lakes, and are used chiefly by the different tribes of northern Indians. Great herds of them are found m a ^vild state on the north- western prairies. They are a larger animal than the Mustang, and in most respects far superior to him. Though he is to be considered a true pony, he is often thirteen, sometimes even fourteen, liands high. The body is very strongly built, being round-ribbed, short-barreled, and M-ith powerful limbs. The neck is thick and short ; the legs are covered with thick hair, and seem somewhat heavy and clumsy, but they are as firm, mus- cular, iron-like and sound, as those of the Shetlands. The mane is very heavy, often falling on both sides of the neck, while the forelocks cover the eyes, and give a sort of shaggy appearance about the ujDper portion of the head ; the tail is also heavy and generally inclined to be wavy. They have a high crest, and quite a proud carriage of the head. They are docile, intelligent, sure-footed, capable of enduring all the rigors of a northern Winter, and able to perform long-continued journeys, at a moderate pace, while carrjnng or drawing disprojiortionate burdens. Their courage is so high that they do not readily succumb to any hard- ship, however trWug its nature, and though coupled with poorness and scantiness of fare. CHAPTER V. BREEDING AND RAISING 1. IMPORTANCE OP THE SUBJECT. II. THE BEST STOCK THE CHEAPEST. III. HE- REDITARY TENDENCIES AND IMMATURITY TO BE GUARDED AGAINST. IV. PRIXCI- PLES OF TRANSMISSION. V. THE TWO METHODS, " IN-AND-IN " AND "CROSS" BREED* ING CONSIDERED. VI. TREATMENT OK THE MARE AFTER BEING SERVED, DURING PREGNANCY, ETC. VII. HOW TO KNOW WHETHER A MARE IS IN FOAL. VIII. HOW TO KNOW TIME OF FOALING. IX. ABORTION, OR SLINKING THE FOAL. X. HOW TO RAISE COLTS. XI. MULES. I. Importance of the Subject, No subject connected with the rearing and use of stock can be of more importance to the farmer and stock-grower, the inteUigent, practical bus- iness man, than that of breeduig. That it is every way more profitable to any one who rears and trains a single colt to have that colt of the very best rather than of an3^ indifferent quality is almost too palpable to need a moment's consideration. That it is possible for every man of observa- tion and good judgment to improve his stock is equally obvious. There is no line of work which horses are called upon to perform that has not its peculiar requirements, that can be better met by some specific kind of animal than by one chosen at haphazard. It is a matter, then, of the plainest common sense that every one who means to rear a horse for his own use should consider beforehand to what purposes he will most prob- ably devote it. If it is designed for market, he needs no less to consult his interests by determining what markets are accessable to him, and what description of animal will be apt to find most ready sale therein, at most remunerative prices. For the farmer who wants to breed and rear horses of all work, it would be manifestly foolish to seek a high-priced pure-blooded race, for his THE HOESE, BKEEDINU AND KAISING. 71 mares, unless the mares themselves were of such t3^3e as to render it necessary to breed to high and elegant stallions in order to obtain those medium-sized, but compact, and moderately quick-paced animals that are so well adapted to all the wants of the farmer. On the other hand, one wanting a light and fleet animal would set his inconsiderateness in a striking manner who should so disregard all the dic- tates of sound sense as to hope to succeed by any chance selection of either mares or stallions. II. The Best Stock the Cheapest. It may be laid down as the tirst rule — a foundation principle — that the very best and purest stock that is reaUy adapted to the end in view should he sought after. It costs even less to feed a horse of good blood and lineage than it does to maintain a scrub ; it costs no more to shelter him ; it costs less to groom him and keep him in condition than it does to keep the scrub from looking like A scare-crow ; his movement is almost invariably smoother and steadier for the same rates of speed ; his temper is generally better ; his pluck and energy not less so ; and if it is found necessary to put him upon the Hiarket, ho brings a, better price. The service of a stallion known. to be of good, generous blood, and possessing adequate powers of transmis- sion, must of course cost more ; there must be a dam adapted to the obtaining of a foal of the best t^qie possible from such a sire ; but the penny-wise, pound-foolish policy of refusing to avail one's self of these advantages, when in the bounds of possibility, is too apparent. Taking it for granted, then, that the best, in this case, is always the cheapest^ — that the liner and purer the horse can be, other things being equal, the more useful, more easily maintained, and more marketable he is bound to be, it remains to consider some points that must always be re- garded by the intelligent breeder, who seeks wisely to adapt means to ends rather than to trust to chance. III. Hereditary Tendencies and Immaturity to be Guarded Against. A caution most needful to be insisted upon at the outset is that relating to the transmission of tendencies to disease and of actual disease itself. It seems that no man in his right senses, knowing the results to the human family when this consideration is disregarded, would think for a moment of utterly ignoring the possibilities of evil consequences ; but ordinary observation leads to the disclosure of the fact that among horses diseases and impaired constitutional powers are often transmitted in this way. Mares at an advanced age, too stiff, too weak, too slow to 72 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. be of any further active use, are turned to account for breeding purposes — and the result is, a weak foal, lacking thrift and lacking spirit. Mares hacked about until they are ring-boned, spavined, and splinted, or perhaps dropsical or with a glanderous tendency, — no longer useful on the farm or on the road, are relieved from the work which they can no longer do with any chance of profit, and sent to the stallion. Result : a foal wath a rickety or knotty osseous system, or with a tendency to some form of dropsAS or ready, in the presence of any exciting cause, to develop a case of glanders. And so of other disorders, more especially of roaring, thick-wind, blindness, contracted feet, grease, and affections of the brain and nervous system. Some mares have a peculiar predispo- sition to surfeit, some to swelled legs, some to vertigo, some to a sort of unaccountable viciousness. No M'ise bi'eeder can afford to disregard these things. If he wishes to rear a horse for service, he wants a sound foal ; for he knows he can get from such a one more work for less cost than from one unsound in bone, muscle, secretions or integument. If he designs to breed for market he is aware that neither a puny nor a diseased creature can be palmed off there either to his profit or his credit. To insure healthy, active, thrifty progeny, then, the dam must be sound and vigorous; and this is no less true of the sire. We dwell less upon the latter because it is of far less frequent occurrence for a broken down and diseased stallion to be kept for the service of mares than for mares of this description to be put to breeding because they are known to be fit for nothing else, but are erroneously deemed useful for this. The condition of the stallion, however, must not be ovei-looked. Every breeder must have a care to choose a vigorous stallion, and one free from blemishes, mal-formation and hereditary taints. Nor should mares be put to breeding too young. They should be full grown and \dgorous, and when their powers begin to fail they should no longer be subjected to this service. It is the practice of some to begin to breed at two years of age. This is injurious to the mare, and otherwise unprofitable to the owner. The growth of the mare is hindered ; her form is modified both by the M^eight of the stallion and by carrying the foal. And the foal itself is apt to lack fullness and power. Yet, it takes from the young mother that sustenance which she needs for her own development, so that she is dwarfed, while it grows up a more or less puny creature — of insufiicient value to compensate for the injury done to the dam. No mare should be so used till she is at least three years old — four would be the better and more profitable age. It is said that mares which are allowed to mature, and are well treated afterwards, will not lose enough of their natm'al vigor to disqualifv them for liringing forth are close observers and astute judges of horse flesh, and au intelligent son of the Desert could l)j no reasonable means be induced to breed his mare to a stallion ni which his eye had marked some weakness or evil tendency which he knew the mare likewise to possess, however slight the indications might be in either. Then, to recapitulate briefl}* : if the breeder has it in his power to keep up a certain stock, let him guard against the slightest admixture of heathen blood ; and to be as sure as possible of no evil results, let him look to se- curing sires and dams as widely removed from kinship as possiI)le ; but he can never afford to "disregard the point previously so much insisted upon, as a principle to be observed in crossing, that if either parent has a fault, the other must be correspondingly strong there. VI. Treatment of the Mare After Being Served, During Pregnancy, etc. It is proper next to notice some little matters of detail in connection with the management of l)rood mares. Forty-four weeks is regarded as the time which a mare goes Avith foal ; but this must be taken as mean time, since one occasionally brings forth a perfect colt four or fiv^e weeks sooner, and others will go equally as long beyoaid this period. When once the time of a mare is known, the breeder can generally regulate her going to the horse so as to have the I'olt appear at whatever season he consideres most desirable, but without this knowl- edge he cannot. After having been served by a horse, the mare should be allowed to stand idle awhile, as conception will be far more apt to take place if she is left to herself. If put to brisk motion, or to any strain immediately after copulation, she is apt to fail of conception. She should also be kept away from strmg-proud or badly castrated geldings, not only at this period, liut during her entire pregnane}', as they are apt to worry her to the casting of the conception, or, at a later period, to slinking the foal. After she has been allowed a reasonable season of quiet, moderate work will be rather beneficial than injurious ; and this may be kept up until about the time of foaling. Special care should alwa3's be exercised to guard her against being kicked, heavily thrown, or inordinately strained in an}^ way. It sometimes occurs that at the time of foaling, a false presentation is made, producing ditficulty of delivery ; but no reliable instructions can be here given as to what course to pursue in these cases ; and it is best to seek the aid of some skillful veterinary surgeon. The mare which has had a colt will be found in season sometime within the next thirty days, and she ought to go to the horse at this time if she is to be bred at all. The ninth dav after foaling will generally be found 80 ILLUiSTKATF.l) STOCK DOCTOR. to be the right time. Whenever indieatious of heat are discovered, the matter should not be delayed, as the season may pass off and not return. After putting, the days of trial are the ninth, then, if she refuses, the seventh after this, and upon a second refusal, the fifth after this, which is sufficient to prove her. Vn. How to Know Whether a Mare is in Foal. It is often important for both breeders and traders to know whether a mare is really in foal ; and one MTiter has published, the following direc- tions for determining this point, which he says may be implicitly relied on : "After the first service of the horse, and before the next trial, on ex- amining the vagina, or bearing, if conception has not taken place it will be of a fresh, bright, oi' florid and moist appearance, ^vith a clear droj) appearing at the lower part, and which, if touched, will nicline to extend ; but if conception is present, a different appearance of the sui-face of the vagina will be presented. It will be found dry, and of a duty brown or rust color; and a dark, brown looking drop will replace the former clear drop. When these latter appearances are present, pregnancy may be re- garded as certain." VIII. How to Know Time of Foaling. Two days, (in some mares only one), before foaling, a sort of sticky substance will be found protruding from each teat, somewhat resembling drops of milk. Care should now be taken to provide a suitable place for her, as this is a certain indication of near delivery. She should be rcmovi'd from other animals, and a careful person should see to her often enough to guard against accidents. Before the signs referred to, as shown by the teats, however, there is on each side of the spinal colunm, from the tail to the haunch, a furrow- like fold ; and the bag will generally be found considerably increased in size. These signs show that delivery is not very remote, but cannot be relied on to denote the day. IX. Abortion, or Slinking the Foal. When about half the time of pregnancy is passed, more than ordinary pains should be taken \\\th the mare, as it is at this time, if at all, that she is apt to slink. She ought now to have better feeding, and even gentler handling than she had i)reviously ; though at all times the owner but consults his own interests when he carefully guards her against ill usage. She has more need of food, and is less able, at this time, to endure hunger, as the rapid growth of the foetus makes a constant and THE HORSE, BREEDING AND RAISING. 81 severe draft upon, her S3^stem. Want of care may cause abortion; and if a mare onc^c casts lier foal, she is apt to do so at a corresponding period of pregnancy afterwards, — more especially if like jjrovocation occurs. Various otiier causes of abortion, some of which may be briefly adverted to, for the purpose of pointing out certain preventive measures and sug- gesting others. Blows, strains, and any violent excitement may have this effect ; and it is said that to allow a mare to see and smell food to which she has been accustomed, and of which she is fond, without suffer- ing her to eat of it, will cause slinking. Feeding hogs or other stock upon corn, in sight of a mai'e that is not also thus fed, is, for this reason dangerous. Sympathy is a known cause : a pregnant mare, seeing an- other cast her foal, is apt to be affected in like manner. Nervous spasms, or a sort of animal hysteria, resulting from sympathy of the womb with a diseased stomach or other organ, occasionally results in causing the foal to he cast. Some affirm that a smell of blood, or of freshlv slaugh- tered meat, will do it. If a mare slinks because of a hurt, a strain, or some acute attack of disease, she is not apt to fall into the habit of abortion, jjrovided proper care is taken to guard against exciting causes at a corresponding period of her next pregnancy. When once this tendencj^ is established, however, it is difficult to coun- teract it, as the slinking is more than likely to take place at times when the mare is not under observation. If symptoms of casting chance to be discovered in time, it may be prevented by promptly burning pigeon feathers, (or those of other birds, if these cannot be obtained), on a hot pan, or a i)an of coals, and holding them so that she will be obliged to inhale the smoke. X. How to Raise Colts. If the colt is healthy and thriving, he should be weaned at from five to six months old. If allowed to run with the dam after this period, he is an unnecessary burden to her, since he has already learned to pick up and devote to his own use other sustenance, and he may most judiciously be taken away. If at this time the dam is still inclined to furnish milk so copiously as to render the udder painful to her, she should be looked after for a few days, to see that the over fullness does not result in inflam- mation and swelling. If necessar}', draw away the milk by hand once a day for three days. It is a good plan to keep her at this time on dryer food than usual, and at more than ordinarily steady -work. This course will tend to prevent the secretion of the . usual quantity of milk, and the udder will soon be dry. «2 ILLUSTRATED STOCK UOCTOK. No matter how well born a colt inuy be he can never amount to anvthiii" if raised a starveling. If the dam is what she should be, he will have been furnished with abundant sustenance from the time of conception to that of delivery, which is one of the secrets of full-formed, linelv-proportioned, vigorous foals. From foal-time to weaning he will have been kept vigorous and growing by the (juantity and character of the milk furnished him, together with such little food as he has early learned to partake of at the manger and in the pasture of the dam. And now, upon being weaned, it is of the utmost importance that he have liberal food and sufficient protection from the inclemencies of the weather. This must be carefully attended to during the whole period of gro^vth if he is expected to make any adequate return to the owTier. Bruised oats and bran have been recommended as the very best food to be given for a considerable time after weaning. In any event let his food be supplied with regularity ; and it must be nutritious, A'et of such kind and so disposed as to be easily partaken. He should not be stabled too much, nor in any oiuer way too closely confined — being allowed all that range and exposure to out-door weather common to older stock in the more clement seasons ; but he should never be left out in cool rains nor in the storms and biting cold of Winter. If a place is jjrovided in which he may always shelter himself when the condition of the weather inclines him to seek cover, it will save troul)le and yet insure a natural growth and that hardihood which comes of sufficient contact with cold and heat. For this purpose a straw rick is sometimes recommended — so constructed as to furnish shelter on the leeward side. This M'ill give at the same time both bedding and a light species of food. Provision must of course be made for his obtaining readih', and at such times as the wants of nature may dictate, plenty of pure Avater — the purer the better. Thus much as to food, drink, and shelter. Another point of impor- tance must not be omitted in his raising, that is, familiai-izing him with his master or with whomsoever has charge of him. He should be handled sufficiently and in such a way as thoroughly to overcome all shyness, and to load him to feel that man is his friend. This confidence once established, his training — when the proper time comes for that — will be easily and successfully accomplished ; his subsequent relations Avith his master will be always pleasant, and his value thereby much enhanced. THE HORSE, BREEDING AND RAISING. 83 XI. Mules. The breeding and rearing of mules, so common in many portions of the United States, requii'es more than a passing consideration. To obtain the best results in crossing with the ass demands as much intelligent care as in the case of the horse : and the mule-breeder will find it much to his advantage thoroughl)' to inform himself as to how these results are to be obtained. Many mistaken impressions prevail as to the relative usefulness of the mule, as compared with the cost of breeding and maintenance. It is thought by the inexperienced that he is almost equall}' adapted to ever}' kind of draft work to which the horse may be j^ut ; that his power as a pack-animal is much greater than that of the horse ; that his endur- ance is greater ; that he can subsist on less food ; and that he demands every way less care. All these things are set down to his advantage ; but in most instances the impressions are wholh' erroneous. As a general thing, he is not well adapted to road or to city purposes at all. Especially are hard roads and pavements destructive to him if he is large of body and disproportionately small of leg. He is not so stout as a horse of proportionate size ; he is uttei'ly incapable of carrying so great burdens as some have represented, even if loaded and attended by experienced packers, — particularly if the journey is to be continuous and the roads are at all heav}' ; his powers of endurance are not greater than those of the hardier kinds of horses ; he will consume as much food as a horse of proportionate size, if required to do like work and to maintain a like con- dition ; and as to care, he can do without it — so can a horse — but both fail thereby of that eminent thriftiness, sprightliness and longevity which is to be expected of animals to which it is extended. On the other hand, and to his discredit, it is commonly thought that he is naturally vicious, and wholly incapable of appreciating kindlj' treat- ment — that the only way to control him is by violence. Hence, those who handle him generally feel as though they are justifiable in whipping, beating, kicking and whatsoever other cruelties they may choose to inflict. This is a grievous, foolish and wicked mistake. The mule has one means of defense, and his heels are dangerous to those who wantonly provoke or startle him and place themselves in his way. His long ears are sensi- tive, and by roughly handling them his combativeness is easily aroused, and distrust is awakened to that degree that renders him almost unman- ageable. Yet, the mule may be so raised and trained as to make him gentle, obedient, even affectionate and ready to follow his master Uke a dog — so trusty that only the one always necessary precaution need be observed in dealing with him — to keep out of the way of his heels, which 84 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. he throws out as instinctively when, startled, irritated or approached by a stranger, as a cat thrusts out her claws. It has been remarked that "when a mule gets perfectly gentle, he is unfit for service ;" and that, taken in connection with the prevailing method of training him, is doubt- less true ; but there is a better wa}', and, if followed, it would result as we have stated above. Now, while the mule is not adapted to everything, and endowed with powers that are adequate to endure starvation and brutal treatment while in the performance of hard and faithful service, he is admirably calcu- lated to meet many of the wants of individuals and corporations ; and his breeding, rearing and training are matters for intelligent consideration. For suppljdng the army he cannot be replaced ; for towing canal boats he answers admirably ; for hauling cars inside of coal mines, he is indis- pensable ; for the general knock-about work of a farm he is good in all temperate climates ; and in a cotton and sugar country, where it is warm and sandy, he is most especially valuable. Though he cannot endure everything and still meet every requirement of a heartless task-master, he is yet gifted with a hardihood that is admirable, and recuperative powers that are astonishing. Seemingly half dead, utterly broken down and worthless, he will, with a little rest and cai"e, soon be again ready for service. In breeding for mules no less attention should be paid to the selection of suitable mares and a suitable jack than in the case of hoi'ses. It is folly to use old, worn-out, diseased, ill-formed, ill-conditioned mares, and yet hope to obtain a good foal. As a general thing a great, overgi"own, long-legged mule is next to worthless. He is expensive to keep and unreliable as a -worker — lacking wind, strength and nimbleness. The medium-sized, clean, compact mule is b}^ all odds the best, unless a team can be found to combine more than the ordinary height with round bodies, not disposed to fleshiness, and larger, stronger legs than usual, with feet above the common size — which is seldom the case. The Spanish or Mexican mule — the offsjjring of stout, close-built, active ilustang or Mexican mares is superior in endurance to any kno\vn in the United States. He requires less food, takes it quicker, and is always in better fix for travel. If it is more profitable to raise good animals than poor ones, (and no man of ordinary intelligence can doubt this proposition), select mares for mule bearing that are sound, compactly built, and yet without any contractedness of body — active, strong, every way service- able. Then, the choice of a suitable jack is important — doubly so from the fact that the great majority of mares breed after the jack in the matter of legs and feet, and, if it is a good and powerful jack, the foal will generally bear his marks, which is a matter of some imnortance, . THE HORSE, BREEDING AND RAISING. 85 since mules so marked are always regarded by experienced stock men as being most hardy and valuable. The jack should be large — the larger the better, other things being equal, since it is impossible to find one so much surpassing in size the mares we have described as to render him objectionable on account of disproportion, as may easily be the case with 8() ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. a horse. Most especially must the breedei- have an eye to his legs and feet ; for here, if at all, the mule is apt to be a failure — having a horse's body, ready to take on flesh beyond his requirements, mounted on legs that are too slight of bone and too small of muscle, with feet below the standard size for highest usefulness. The cut on preceding page is a portrait of a large and powerful Poitou ass, an animal much valued in that district of France for breeding heavy draft mules from cart mares. The one here represented has been de- scribed as being fourteen and one-fourth hands high ; greatest girth, seventy-seven inches ; girth behind the shoulders, sixty-six inches ; length of ear, fifteen inches ; ears, tip to tip across, thirty-two inches ; with hoofs much larger than those of the common ass. Compare him with the small, light ass, now in too common use among us. The differ, ence seems to be almost one of kind ; and with these representations in his mind, no observant stock-grower can be persuaded to put up with a poor pretense of a jack for the service of his mares. As for the treatment of mares that are to be thus bred, no farther directions need be laid down, since it must be substantially the same as that prescribed for the breeding of horse foals. The like instructions relative to weaning, feeding, and sheltering the colt must also be carried out ; and too much importance cannot be attached to beginning early the work of familiarizing him with man. He should be taught to regard his keepers without fear, to allow himself to be haltered, and readily to submit to direction and guidance. If this is done, he will be easily trained, when the proper time shall have arrived ; and if properly handled and judiciously taught then, he will be not only a useful, but a trusty and agi-eeable animal. CHAPTER VI. HOW TO BREAK AND TRAIN A HORSE. AMERICAN VS. ENGLISH FOALS. n. AT WEANING TIME. III. THE FIRST LESSON. IV. TRAINING. V. TRAINING TO WORK. VI. TRAINING TO BACK. VII. TRAINING TO^SADDLE AND HARNESS. VIII. TO HANDLE A HORSE. IX. HOW TO HANDLE A VICIOUS COLT. X. SADDLING AND HARNESSING. XI. HOW TO SUBDUE A VICIOUS HORSE. XII. HOW TO TRAIN TO THE SADDLE, XIII. TRAINING TO TROT IN HAR- NESS. XIV. HOW TO TRAIN TO TROT IN LIGHT HARNESS. XV. HOW TO TRAIN FOR THE PLOW. XVI. TRAINING TO THE WAGON. XVU. HOW TO TRAIN A RACER. XVUI. TRAINING A STALLION I. American vs. English Foals. It is a common remark among Englishmen visiting America that our hor.se.s are more easily controlled and managed in the breaking in and training than English horses, and hence they have been led into the error of supposing that they were deficient in courage and spirit. Nothing could be farther from the fact. The true reason is, the growing fouls in the United States are more the companions of the children of the farmer than in England. They are not as a rule, beaten and abused, and thus do not find their real powers of resistance as they do in England under the handling of hirelings of little intelligence, and almost no education. In the United States the fondling of the colts and fillies commences almost with birth. They are special pets of the boys of the family. On the farm, and even on the road, the mares are often regularly worked with the colts ranning at the feet, a very bad plan for the colts, and 88 ILLISTKATEU STOCK DOCTOR. especially so for the mares, but wbieh, nevertheless, early accustoms the young animals to strange sights, while it renders them tame ami contiding. II. At Weaning Time. The true education of the colt or tilh' should begin early ; at weaning time. They should then be haltered and taught to lead, to stand quietly in the stall when tied. After this is thoroughly understood the colts may then have their liberty, for there is nothing more healthful, or better calculated to develop those powers necessary to the exhibition of speed, endurance, or great nmscular exertion, than constant, every-day exercise, which all young animals naturally take in then- play, and this often of the most violent I'haracter. m. The First Lesson. The first lesson the young foal should be taught is to come readily at call. This is easily accomplished by providing one's self with delicacies, such as sugar and salt, of which horses are especially fond. If there are a number of them they will all take the lessons together, and easier, for the most intelligent wilt assist the others. At the same time they must be taught to l)c (juiet by a light tap of the whip to unruly ones. In haltering, the colt or tilly should be approached from the near side, the halter in both hands. Let the colt smell it until it no longer fears it, when, holding it properly in the left hand the right hand may be passed over the colt's neck and taking the strap of the halter it may be drawn on and buckled almost before the colt knows it. In case the colt should be wild, shy, or vicious, it must l)e confined in some place where the halter may be put on, but no haste must be manifested, until at the moment when it is to be l)uckled. Then do it (luietly and quickly. If very strong, two ends of rope, each ten feet long, should be attached to the ring of the halter, and a free passage out of the stable allowed, one num holding each I'ope. In the case of a colt three or more years old, and strong, these ends should be twenty feet long, and the halter should have a cavesson so the nmzzle will be pinched during violent struggles. Tlie nu'ii holding the ropes — there may be one or more, according to the struggles of the animal — are not to seek to throw the colt or horse, but simply to restrain him in his struggles to escape. The yard should be soft so that if the colt falls it will not be injui-ed. But if the animal does fall, when down it should be tirmly held so for five minutes, or until resistance entirely ceases. As a rule, before the expiration of fifteen minutes, the colt will take a lick of salt from the hand and thereafter follow quietly. As soon as the colt gives up he should be led to the stable. THE HORSE, HOW TO BREAK AND TRAIN. 89 tied, given a little water and fed, and then be left to himself, being certain he can neither break the halter or injure himself. As before stated, the foal once haltered, taught to stand ijuietly, and to lead kindlj it may then be given its liberty until of the proper age for training. The animal three years old and over once in hand should be thoroughly broken and made way wise without delay. IV. Training. The regular training of a colt or tilly should begin at the age of two ycai's past. There are many urgent reasons for this ; first, the animal has neither the full strength, nor the disposition to resist, that it will have at a more mature age ; second, it is more tractable, and will acquire it» les- sons more easily ; third, it will not have contracted habits of self-will ditHcult to he broken off ; and fourth, lessons in flexions of the body may be taught tiiat will naturally increase its usefulness in whatever direction it may be wanted. In the whole manner of breaking and training the trainer nmst not only understand himself, but the young horse as well and also as of special importance, the particular use for which the animal is intended. If the colt is of cold blood, that is of no particular breeding, it will not p;iv to spend much time on its education. It is simply to tie taught to lead (|ui- etly, to stand still to be harnessed and unharnessed, to he accustomed to the ordinary sights and objects he will encounter, to work quietly at the plow, or other farm implements, and to the wagon on the road, and to stand (juietl}' when tied on the })ublic streets. If to be trained as a road horse, or as a saddle horse, or both, or as a hunting horse, a trotting horse, or a racer, all these will require special, and sometimes,, long con- tinued lessons according as the animal is intelligent and tractable or otherwise. It should always be remembered, however, that there is nothing gained hy cruelty and abuse. A contrary animal may be punished, but it should always be done calmly and with judgment. v. Training to Work. The first lesson for any use is implicit and perfect obedience to the will of the master. This thoroughly accomjilished the rest of the task is com- paratively easy, it is only a question of time. It is supposed the animal is entirel}^ free from acquired vice, that it has been halter broken, and taught to stand quietly at the end of the halter, to follow quietly, to lead by the side of the master, and to stand quietly in the stable. The next step is to procure a bitting bridle, a strong bridle with a heavy smooth snaliie bit with a tongue piece and keys depending from the center 90 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. of the bit, it must also have a check rein that may be lengthened or shortened, and two side straps one on each side. The harness is simply a very wide strong surcingle, with padded back piece, having at the top a strap and buckle to form a loop for the check rein and also a buckle on each side of the surcingle in which to buckle to side straps. To the rear of the pad of the circingle is attached a back strap and round crupper strap, the latter to buckle and unbuckle. Take the harness, and approaching the colt in the stall, let him smell it until satisfied, then put it on without undue haste or fuss. If the colt is nervous or skittish, talk to him and take time. The harness on, put on the bridle, giving plenty of length to the check rein and side straps, so the colt will not be unduly hampered, and let it out in a smooth, tight yard, following it about with the whip under the arm. Sometimes a strong colt will struggle and sweat A'iolcntly, but if he has been properly handled heretofore, he will take the subjection pretty much as a matter of course. Let him exercise an hour a day for a few days, tightening the check rein and side straps gradually, until his head is brought into proper position, but not a constrained position. When he ceases to fret at the harness, pass the snap of a leading rope through the near ring of the l)it and snap it into the off one. This rope should be about fifteen feet long. Taking the end in the hand, exercise the colt in a circle, allowing him to walk if he will. When somewhat tired let him stop and standing in front of him, say come, tapping him lightly on the fore-legs with the whip. If he pulls, hold him firmly, but without undue violence while he resists, tap- ping him on the fore-legs at intervals, using the word come. He will soon find the way to escape the whip to be to get near to you. Then fondle him and give him a trifle of sugar or salt and let him follow to the stable. So proceed from day to day, exercising him in a circle both to the right and left, (lunging it is called), gradually increasing his pace to a fair trot, until he will work as you want him, turning at the word to the right or left circle, or to stand and come to his master at the word of command. VI. Learning to Back. This is one of the most difiicult things to teach a colt properly, and one most commonly slurred over. No horse is properly trained for the most simple use, until he will back as readily and as perfectly as he will go forward. It should be taught him while in the bitting harness, so that at the command to back he will do so to the extent of one or more steps. This is done first by standing in fuont of the colt and taking a rein in each hand ; or take hold of the rings of the bits themselves. At THE HOKSE, HOW TO BREAK AND TRAIN. 91 the word back, use pressure enough to curb the neck somewhat, but not enouf^h to force the body in such a position as to cause the center of gravity of the animal to be strongly displaced. In backing, a hind leg should be lifted tirst, then a fore leg, and so on in rotation, the reverse as in walking. When the animal will back promptly and in line for ten or fifteen steps consecutively, the further lessons may be safely left until the time when the rider is in the saddle or in the vehicle behind the horses. Sometimes tiie motion may be made by standing at the side of the animal. However it is accomplished, if strong resistance is made the lesson must begin again and again until it is entirely comprehended and well executed. When so, a slice of sweet apple, carrot, a little sugar, or something the animal likes may be given it. VII. Training to Saddle and Harness. We have stated that the colt should be broken at two years old. At this age, however, it should never be put to hard labor. The work at two years old should be more in the nature of exercise than anything else, and this exercise should be to insure proper flexions of the body and limbs-than for the amount of work the animal will accomplish, bearing in mind always, as before stated, what the animal is designed for. If as a saddle horse solely, or in connection with light driving, it is absolutely essential that the flexions should be thorough. The word flexion is but another name for rendering the head, neck, body and limbs ])erfectly supple. The animal must tirst have been rendered so quiet and obedient that he will not strongly resist the will and action of the trainer. Put a bridle with a curb-bit on the colt, being careful to know that it fits and that there is space between the. chain and jaAV, so the finger can be easily slipped between. Standing in front of the horse, seize the right curb-rein with the right hand, about six inches from the branch of the bit, and the left rein with the left hand at about half the distance from the branch. Draw the right hand towards the body, jmshing at the same time with the left, so as to turn the bit in the horse's mouth. If the horse backs, continue the operation imtil he yields. When the horse flexes his jaw and lowers his head, let the left hand slip along the rein to the same distance as the right, then drawing the two reins equally bring the head near the breast, and hold it there oblique and perpendicular, until it is sustained of itself. The horse will give notice by champing the bits. The Jaw is flexed to the left by a contrary move as given above. So the horse may be made to hold his head up, and })er|)endicular, to lower it, so the trainer can make the horse flex his neck to the right and left. 92 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. Standing at his shoulder, the trainer may make him move the hind-legs to one side or the other, the fore-legs remaining stationary', or to move the fore parts in a circle the hind-legs remaining intact, and this b}' means that will naturally suggest themselves. But in all this there must be no ill temper displayed by the trainer no matter how bad the horse may act. Even if it be necessary to punish him the operator must be perfectly cool, never speaking in a loud voice or doing anything to cause undue resistance in the animal. The object is to teach the animal subjection to the will of man, and this can never be done by intemperate ^^olence. Our practice has always been to break at two years old so the animal may become wa^'-wise, flexible to the bit, to draw light loads, and under the saddle to walk, trot, or gallop, at com- mand. Then at the age of three to four years, we let it again have its liberty. The reason of this is, at this age the colt is shedding some prin- cipal teeth, and therefore not fit for work. If the lessons have been carefully given they will never be foi'gotten. If however he be properly fed, in the stable, he may continue to do light work through his third and fourth year. In no case, however, should he be put to heavy draft until he is five years past. As a carriage horse, the animal should not have hard work until he is the same age. Then he will get better and better until eight years old, and often do good ser\'ice at the age of fifteen to eighteen and sometimes when past twenty years of age. There are more horses ruined between the ages of four and five years than at any other age. vni. To Handle a Horse. As we have stated, the foal should be handled as early as possible, and bv different persons, to early accustom it to different sights and sounds, but always gently. It should be cai'efuUy brushed so as not to irritate it ; its feet should be lifted and lightly tapped with a hammer ; a head stall should be put on the foal having a ring but no strap, but so the strap may be attached at any time to lead and exercise it. Thus, the trainer beside it, the colt may be taught to walk, to trot, or stand still, allowing it to do pretty much as it likes, within bounds. Never beat it under any circumstances at this age. Reward it with a trifle of sugar, or a little bread, or a slice of carrot, and fondle it when it has done well. Remember the future hoi'se is to be the servant of man for ten or fifteen vears of his life, and that it will pay to take pains wfth the education of so noble an animal, if well bred. In this day and generation it is money thrown away to breed or handle any other, whatever the breed may be. When the foal is six months old strap a pad to its back and attach stirrup THE HORSE, HOW TO BREAK AM) TRAIN. 93 leathers so they may flap about. In the Spring following its birth put a colt's bit in his nioutii, with keys attached. Rein him c-omfortably to the surcingle, to which a crupper must be attached. In this, however, everything must be easy to the animal. Don't try to get his head up. He may be flexed from time to time, that is taught to open his jaw to the left and right ; to turn his head to the right and left shoulder ; to raise and lower his head ; to turn with his hind or his fore-feet in a circle, those not used l)eing the pivot ; to come to his trainer at the word : to back, to guide right or left by the rein ; in fact at the age of two years he may be made pretty M'ell way wise, so that when actually ridden, or hitched beside a steady horse, ihere will be little fear or resistance to combat. To get him used to the rattling of a wagon, tie him by a lead- ing strap to the trace buckle of the back band to the off and also to the near horse in the team. This will instruct him and get him used to the word, and to walking and trotting quietly. All this may seem like taking a great deal of trouble, but remember that much of it may be done while doing the ordinary labor of the farm. IX. How to Handle a Vicious Colt. Suppose you come into possession of a wild colt at three or four years old, or one that has never been handled. Put him in a close place like a narrow stall, where he cannot turn round or by any means escape. Put on a cavesson halter (a cavesson is a nose-band) and it may end under the jaw in a running noose, so as to press with force when drawn tight. Have lunging straps attached to the halter ring and securely fastened. Allow the young horse free access out of the stable, being careful not to throw him down before he gets out. Let the yard be rather small, but quite tight, and with none near except his trainer and assistant, who holds the ropes. Thus with a strong man to each rope acting in concert the wildest colt may be handled without danger. Let him struggle and rear and plunge, the ropes being well spread to each side. If he rear, ease on the ropes so as not to throw him, checking him us he comes down again. Only one person should speak, the trainer, using only the necessary words and those spoken in a firm but rather low tone of voice. Have a good and relial)le whip, a long, straight, flexible one, but not for use except in cases of an emergencv ; as in case the horse should get his liberty by slipping the halter and turn to fight. Then it nmst be used determinedly, but without exhibition of temper. If he ruslics on you, a sharp, strong cut across the muzzle, avoiding the eyes, to be followed by others, as necessary. This will subdue him. If he kicks, a determined sharp cut over the hind legs next the body, will tame him. 94 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. A self-possessed man, uiiderstaudiiig the use of the whip, is in but little danger from a young horse. But there is no need that the animal es- cape. The straps and leading ropes must be secure. When the colt gives uj), let the assistant hold the rope, while the trainer, with the whip under his arm, the butt forward, gently and grad- ually shortens his rope, advancing to tiie horse. Take plenty of time, speaking firmly but soothingly to the horse, M'atchiug for any indications of vice. If the ears are held naturally or thrown forward, all is right. When mischief is intended they will be thrown back. When the horse allows you to approach him and will smell the whip or your hand, give iiini a trifle of salt or sugar, rub his nose gently, and induce him to fol- low you. Then lead him into the stable and tie him in the stall securely. From this time on he should have a daily lesson until broken. One thing must be remembered ; in first tying up in the stable, the halter must be so strong that the animal cannot by any possible means break it, and so perfectly fitting and secure that he cannot slip or rub it off. Thus you will never again have to In-eak him of pulling at the halter. X. Saddling and Harnessing. The trainmg of the horse fairly commenced, it should proceed day by day. (>et him used to the harness and saddle by jJutting them on every day. Do not throw them on. Buckle every strap as carefully as though the animal was to be taken to work. The saddle being allowed to be put on without restiveness, and kindly taken, gradually draw the girth tighter from day to day until sufficiently tight so it will not turn. Begin by bearin"- some weight upon it, first with the hand and then by pulling on the stirrup. If the colt cringes at first and leans over to the side pulled upon, it will soon get over it, and will at length allow the full weight of the man sitting upright upon the saddle in the stall. Then accustom the colt to being touched in different parts of the body with the legs, to be squeezed somewhat with the thighs and knees, mount- ing and dismounting repeatedly. This being permitted, lead him out of the stalile. and while an assistant holds him by the bridle above the bits not by the reins — the trainer mounts, the assistant lets go, and in nine cases out of ton the horse will move off at the word of command. If he doe.- not, use no haste: give him time. If he rears and plunges, the rider must have full command and confidence in himself, or else quietly dismount and use the jirevious course until the animal understands what is wanted. If the rider is master of the saddle, and the horse plunges or throws himself about, get him into motion in a field of not less than ten acres, and if rather soft, so much the better: circle him about the field THE HORSE, HOW TO BREAK AND TRAIN. J) 5 until he wishes to stop, and then force him forward until he is thoroughly tired and subdued. Kide him to the stable, gentle him, wash his mouth, let him take two or three swallows of water, add a taste of some food that he likes, and the real work of breaking is done. Thereafter it is simply a question of training. When the horse is to be put to the wagon, know that the harness is strong, and that it lits perfectly and easily. If the colt has been tied be- side another horse on the road, until he is not afraid of the wagon, so much the better. Hitch him beside an old, thoroughly broken horse, tying the doubletree back so the steady horse may pull all the load if necessary. Get quickly into the wagon while an assistant is attracting the attention of the colt by talking to him and stroking his nose ; i)ick up the reins and bid them go. Keep the broken horse in a walk or slow trot, as the case may be, and the colt will generally take kindly to the work in less than five minutes. Drive for about half an hour, at a walk- ing pace if possible, letting the colt have his own wa}' if not too awkward and ugly, turning from right to left in rather long curves. When the colt shows signs of fatigue, and certainly before he is tired, but not until he has ceased resistance, drive to the stable and unharness carefulh \iid quietly as before described. XI. How to Subdue a Vicious Horse. If he be a colt that has never been handled, the directions we have given for bitting and training will succeed. If he has been made tricky by a previous owner, who was timid, go into the stable when he is tied, watch him closely, but keep cool and show no signs of fear. Take him by the head, and speak to him in a firm voice, put on a strong bridle and curb, and order him to back. If he does not comply, give him a sharp cut on the fore-legs with the whip, and hold him firmly with the left hand, standing facing parth^ towards his rear, but with the head turned so you can see every movement of his eyes and ears. If the stall is not roomy and high do not attempt it. The .struggle is better in a small close yard. If he rear cut him sharply again over the fore-legs while up, and if he kick cut him on the hind-legs near the body, but never more than one stroke at a tijiie. When he ceases to resist, gentle him, and so proceed until the animal is entirely sulnuissive to your will. If a horse has ac- quired vicious habits from having beaten a timid, or worse, brutal master, the case is more serious. Have nothing to do with him unless fully assured of your powers to subdue him. To succeed he must be made to lie down ; to do this confine him in a stall so close that he cannot turn round in it, and with the near side so 96 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. arranged that you can approach him sufficiently near to operate in any direction. If the horse will submit to fondUng so much the better. Under no circumstances use a whip. The work must be done by showing the horse that his struggles are always against himself. Have the side of the stall so arranged that it may be taken down and allow free egress to a yard thirty feet square, with a high board fence, or, better still, a large square barn floor covered a foot deep with straw tramped solid. Pi'ocure the following articles : a simple single-rein bri- dle, strong, and having a gag bit with large rings and long guards, the reins to be only sufficiently long so they will lie on the withers ; have also a strong, padded surcingle, made with a two inch ring at the belly ; also, one strap an inch and a quarter wide, and three feet or more in length, with a strong loop to form a slip noose, and a strong buckle on the end ; and another strap five feet long with the end turned into a loop and flrmly sewed ; also two strong knee pads, to protect the knees in falling. Put on the bridle, buckle on the knee pads, loop the short strap around the near fetlock of the fore-foot, raise the foot and buckle the end tightly around the arm of the fore-leg next the body, thus you have one foot firmly held up. Put the loop of the second or long strap about the fet- lock of the off fore-leg, and pass the end of the strap through the ring of the surcingle under the horse. Do not be in a hurry, and in no case lose your temper. If it takes two hours, well and good, you have the horse then perfectly under command however vicious he may be. See that there is entirely free egress out of the stable and let him go. Approach him slowly, but Avithout hesitation, steadying him by the voice. If he show right do not hesitate, he is on three legs and nearly powerless, except to bite, or to strike you in the act of rearing. Seize him by the near bridle rein about twelve inches from the bit, and placing yourself immediately at his near quarter, or just behind his shoulder, gather the long strap in the right hand and when the horse i-ears draw up the other leg. If the horse struggles let him do so. It ^vill not be necessary to exert much .strength, simply tact and coolness in steering him. When he comes down it must necessarily be on his knees. If he continue to .struggle let him exhaust himself. It will rarely take over five minutes, and never ten by the watch. Having him on his knees always seek to draw the head from you by pulling on the rein that comes over the neck. Once you have the head turned keep pulling on him until he gives up completely and lies down. Use no violence on the rein. It is only to be used to steer or guide the horse. It is the strap that does the work. However manv attempts he may make to regain his liberty it will only end in the more complete discomfiture of the horse. Once down unless THE HORSE, HOW TO BKEAK AND TRAIN. 97 he lies still hold his head still by sitting on it. When r()nii)letely sub- dued, stroke his head, rub him on various parts of the body, soothe and caress him, and especiall}' handle him wherever he is disposed to be touchy, being careful always to be on your guard, that if he resist he may be immediately chocked. Show him a buffalo robe, an umbrella, or anything he would be likely to frighten at, and alwai/n let him smell it until satisfied. Sit on his side, handle his feet, tap them, and at last remove the straps from his feet, and continue to fondle him. If he attempt to rise hold down his head firmly, and bend up one fore-leg. If he get the advantage do not struggle with him but let him rise to his feet again. Lay him down until he gives completely up. He ^\^ll soon come to lie down quietly at the ■word, simply by t^nng up one foot, and at last will do so at your bidding without tying. AVhen down and quiet pass your hand repeatedly over his body, breathe in his nostrils, gently open his mouth, give him soothing words, and when on his feet give him a taste of some- thing he likes. This is substantially Rarey's plan, and it may be practiced successfully on very vicious horses, as we have done. As a i-ule, however, the direc- tions previously given will be found to be fully effectual in breaking colt XII. How to Train to the Saddle. No person should attempt to break a horse to the saddle unless he be a thorough horseman himself. It is not sutfieieut that he be able to stick on a horse's back with or without a saddle. He must be able to do so, and without aid from the bridle, when the horse is undergoing any of the movements likely to occur when on his feet. The bridle is used simply to steady a horse under certain circumstances, and as a signal to guide him. If the trainer be not able to ride thus, and with ease to himself and the horse, he has no business as a trainer. Walking. — A fast M-alk is the most valuable of all the gaits of the horse. To walk rapidly is the first and most persistent of the lessons to be given. To teach a horse to walk fast the head must be kept moder- ately well up, and yet but little real weight should be borne on the bridle — only just enough to assist the swaying motion and nodding head always exhibited in fast walking. During the acquirement of this gait, no other should be aliowed, and when the horse shows signs of fatigue, the lesson should end. In this, the seat of the rider is im])ortant, it should be easy and with sufficient grip of the limbs to steady the rider, and with jilay of the lower part of the legs to keep the horse well up to his work, and assist !•<:> ILLUtlTKATEU STOCK OOCTOli. in increasing the gait. Thus hy care and practice almost any horse can be gotten up to four niih'S an hour and a really active cue to five. In breaking to walk fast to the wagon, there should be just sufficient bearing on the reins to steady the horse. The check-rein should be quite loose, for no horse can walk fast and easily with his head gagged back in an unnatural position. The horse, however, should be first trained to walk fast under the saddle, and by the means M-e have indicated. Then, when harnessed, he will not forget the lessons given, and may even be improved in his walk, if not already brought up to his maximum speed. A natui'ally slow walking horse may be made to walk much faster ; a fast walking horse may be greatl}' improved in his gait, but a lazy, slow dolt will never pay for any education beyond that of honestlj^ pulling such a load as he maj'^ be able to comfortably move. For the saddle he is a nuisance, and no attempts whatever, should be made to bring him out as a riding horse. If a good one, however, bring out his walking powers. Like the trotter, he will impi'ove until he is eight or ten 3'ears old. How TO Traix'To Trot. — Eveiy farmer's boy thinks he knows how to drive a trotting horse to a wagon. Very few really do. fcjtill fewer un- derstand how to trot a horse under the saddle. If properly performed it is the least exhausting to the horse within the limit of his natural speed, and need not be unpleasant to the rider. That it is among the best and most pleasant exercise the horseman can take is without doubt. Certain drivers have denied that the trot and the pace were natural to the horse. Every person who has been among the wild horses of the plains knows the contrary. It is a fact, however, that the trot is but a modification of the walk. There are two st^^les of motion for the rider ; one the rising motion, by which the rider eases himself in the stirrups — not ungraceful when properly performed — the other where the rider keeps a close seat, supporting himself by the knees and stirrups. The elbows should be kept rather close to the side, and with onh' just enough bearing on the curb and snaflle to keep the horse's head correct and the animal under perfect command. In fact, under no circumstances is the rein and bit for any other use but to guide and steady the horse. The rider maintains his equilibrium, keeps his seat, and renders himself en- tirely at home in the saddle, through the science of equitation and the proper pressure of the limbs against the saddle. Until this is thoroughly accomplished, no person has any business trying to train a horse to sad- dle gaits. The rider must train himself first. In the trot, when the rider rises in the stirrups, the snafiie-rein only should be used, a rein in each hand, and once grasped and pi'operly ar- ranged, the arms must be held rather close to the body, but without THE HORSE, HOW TO BREAK AND TRAIN. 99 clinging thereto. The feet should rest in the stirrup so the heel is well down, the leg from the knee down fully straight, and moving but little. The rise and fall of the body must be as slight as possible, only suf- ficient to escape thumping, and to ease the horse. The head of the horse should be kept pretty well up, the limbs of the horse well under control. The rider will appear to support the horse with the bit. In fact, he does not. He simply holds the horse to his pace. There is this difference between road riding and race riding : in riding for pleasure, the animal is never severely pushed, whatever the gait may be. In riding a trotting or running race, the animal must put forth all his powers, the only object being that he extend himself as much as pos- sible, and without reference especially to the style of going. As a rule, race riders are dis(jualified for riding or trotting a horse gracefully on the road. In trotting, always train the horse to slacken his pace and stop if de- sired, by slacking the rein, and at the word. In square trotting, the hoofs move in exact time, 1, 2, 3, 4. Some horses acquire a pace denoted by the time 1, 2. With this motion it js difficult to rise easil}' in the sad- dle, and it should not be allowed. To ease the horse's wind let him walk or ciinter slowl}- ; or better, give him a jog trot. The jog trot, however, is under no circumstances to be allowed when traveling on the road in company. After a hard ride at aoj' gait, it eases the tired horse immensely. Xm. Training to Trot in Harness. In trotting in harness the horse is more firmly held than when under the saddle, and for obvious reasons. Yet here a dead strong pull is to be avoided. The horse is simply to be supported and steadied by the bit. The driver must learn by his own study, and l)y observing others, how to do this. The bit must be adapted to the horse. A boring, hard mouthed brute could not be driven with comfort in a bit that would suit a sensitive mouth. Very many trotting drivers spoil their horses' mouths and make them pullers. The pull of a trotting horse should never be such as to tire the well trained muscles of the driver, even though it be a lady. Indeed, one of the best drivers we ever knew was a lady, and she was superior by the delicacy and yet firmness with which she handled the reins. In training to trot in harness, the oliject should be to keep the horse squarely to his work, and at the top of his speed, ^\nthout forcing him beyond it. In fact, no horse comes to his best trotting speed until he is at least eight, years old. Do not force him beyond his power, and above all do not rein him so 100 ILLlI.srRATKD STOCK DOCTOR. liiirtl as to make him a borer. Uiie of (he best j)air of road trotters we ever broke, were trained with curb bits, and when under smooth motion were apparently driven with u loose rein ; such, however, was only ap- parent ; they had been given such delicate mouths by careful driving that the least indication kept them in proper form. Below we give two illustrations : one showing a horse unduly checked and gagged back, the other with the head in an easy-going position. The use of the bearing rein is simply to keep the horse from getting his head too low, not to draw it back in an unnatural position. Under the saddle this is precisely the use of the curl). horse's HKAI) Wl I'U JiiCAUING-RKIN. HOP.SF.'S HKAD WITHOUT BKAUING-REIN. TiiK I'acinu Gait. — This is a gait natural to many horses, and exceed- ingly ditHcult to teach a horse that it is not natural to. On the other hand it is not ditiicult to make a trotter of a pacer. In pacing, a horse lifts both feet on a side simultaneously, and on pei'fectly smooth ground it may be made an exceedingly fast gait. It is easy to the rider but ungraceful in the extreme, from the fact that, as in sculling a boat, the body is swayed from side to side. If the horse has the pace naturally he should be trained to increase the pace by precisely the same general I'ules for increasing the trotting pace ; by keeping him well in hand and inducing him by every possible means to increase his stride. The rack, amble, and single foot, as it is sometimes called, are all but modifications of the pacing stride and the galloi), just as the jog-trot and the walk are modifications of the trot. The amble is a slow, smooth gallop, or rather canter, and must be taught to the horse under the curb. The rack is a modification of the pace, the feet instead of being lifted uji simultaneously side by side, represented by the ligures 1-2, may be represented by the figures 1-2, 3-4, that is, the feet are not lifted regularly as in the walk. Single foot is a trained rack. It reijuires i)atience and time to teach, except in a horse having a natural adaptation thereto. Once the animal THE IIOUSK, HOW TO BREAK AND TRAIN. 101 catches the idea be sure to l(!t liini know thiit you appreciate it, and wish him to preserve it. It is difficult to give written instrucitons, for rules which would accom- plish the matter with one horse and rider, with another would totally fail. There is ouly this fixed rule: The horse must be iu complete subjection to the will of the rider before anything but the natural gait is attempted. All these gaits, and the canter as well, are taught by using patience, keeping the feet of the animal well under him, and keeping him suffi<-iently well curbed so he cannot extend his stride until he fully understands what you want of him. CiiANGiNO THE LEADING FooT. — In developing any gait the horse should be made to start with either foot as desired. It should be one of the first lessons taught. To do this turn the horse's head somewhat by pulling the rein and pressing the heel slightly on the side opposite to the log which it is desired to move. This will turn his head and croup slightly out of the proper line of progression, something that the horse naturally does when he starts. To change the leading leg, if, for instance, he is leading with the off fore-leg, rouse the horse, turn his head to the right, while the left heel reminds him to throw his croup out of line, upoi;, which, by a peculiar motion the change is effected. Gallopinc}. — The gallop is often stated to be the fastest gait of the horse. This is however not strictly true. When a horse is going at the top of his speed under whip and spur, the whole animal is extended to the utmost, the head and tail straight out, and the animal going close to the ground. The slower he goes the more upright he holds himself, un- til when in the fashionable canter — the most distressing gait for the horse — he is almost on his haunches. All that is necessary to get the horse into the gait is to rouse him, give him a check for the leading foot, and restrain the gallop to the requirements of the case. The hand gallop is an easy going pace, both for the horse and the rider, and may be said to be half speed. The gallop proper is such a gait as will exhaust the horse in going ten or twelve miles. Running is that gait which cannot be continued longer than from one to three miles without seriously distressing the horse. Being one of the natural gaits of the horse it is only necessary to rouse the lazy horse to the proper speed, or to check the ambitious one to the pace desired. Xrv. How to Train to Trot in Light Harness. Trotting in light harness is generally considered to mean, being hitched to a light vehicle, either single or double and being driven for pleasure. Used in this manner horses may be driven either with the curb, the 102 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. siiafilo, or other trottinji bit ac-cording to the delicacy of the hand of the driver, or mouth of the horse. We prefer, after they are way wise and used to the eurb, to drive them thus, until they have acquired the proper carriajie, and this entirely without the bearing rein. The object accom- plished iu this is, the horse becomes entirely subservient to the driver but at the same time learns to rely on himself so far as sure-footedness is concerned. When he will go in proper form he may be driven with a trotting bit, until he has learned to extend himself fully, when he may again be placed in the curb, and if delicately handled will give satisfaction any where on the road. Thus trained under the curb, when used with a trotting bit, they may be made to exhibit all the style they are capable of at an ordinary gait, and n ay be shaken up instantly for a brush and ex- tend themselves to the utmost. In ti'otting at any speed the horse must be trained to take hold of the bit, so he may be steadied by the rein. He must never be allowed to suppose that this hold of the bit is for the purpose of pulling on. It is to be used simply to steady himself, and as a means of cjuick comprehen- sion of the driver's wishes. XV. How to Train for tae Plow. In training a team for plowing, they must be made to walk at such a pace as will lay the best furrow, to walk evenly and straight ahead, with- out pulling apart or crowding each other, to obey the slightest check of the driver in laying out lands, and at the end of the furrow to come im- mediately and quickly about. To this end the reins should be carefully adjusted, the whitiie trees should be as light as will suiJice to do the Avork, and the team must never be over driven. In stony or grubby land they must be kept so completely under control, as never to spring for- ward when the plow strikes an obstruction. In turning quartering about at the end, on square lands, in plowing right handed furrows, the near horse should back slightly, that the off horse may not step on his feet, and the traces should be kejit slack enough so the plowman may easily enter the point of the plow in the next furrow. In back furrowing, the section of the circle described must be that which will bring the plow, with the aid of the plowman, most easily to the next furrow, the off horse in this case, keeping slightly behind. In plowing there is nothing gained by hurrying a team, and then stoii])ing to rest. Plowing is hard work because it is a constant strain on particular sets of muscles. The team, however, may be very much eased THE HORSE, HOW TO BREAK AND TRAIN. 103 by the tact of the plowman in holding his team up in plowing through hard or tough places, by knowing that the harness tits perfect!}', and by always having his plow clean and in a condition to scour. In laying out land the team should be rather wider apart than when plowing furrow after furrow, or so the plowman may see the line stakes between the horses. In laying out lands alwa^'s have the reins of such length that they may be carried over the left hand plow handle. Thus by taking the right hand rein a little beyond the center the hand may easily grasp the handle. A pull directly back will carry the horses gee and carrying the hand forward will tighten the near rein and carry the horses /latv, while a steady bearing will keep the team in a direct line ahead. The onlv position for the reins if carried otherwise than on the handle is to carry them just above the hips, and of such a length that when the team is going at ease they will be loose, and yet may be easily tightened by the plowman walking a little farther in the rear than usual. With a hard-mouthed team "feeling their oats" this will do. By the means we have indicated, if the lines are niceh' adjusted, the team may be made to pull on the plow, and once used to this way of driving we have never known of its being abandoned, except for a time as a change. The practice of carrying a rein in each hand adopted by some good plowmen is not to be commended, except with a kind team. In this case to carry them over the left handle is easier, whether the team be wild or gentle. In any case the reins should never be carried over the neck. It is awkward, and the team is never under control. Carried over one shoul- der and under one arm is an improvement upon this awkward plan. XVI. Training to the Wagon. But little need be said on this score if attention has been paid to what has been said previously. Upon good roads and with an ordinary load the team should be kei)t up to their maximum gait in walking. When the road is good in some places and bad in others, as country roads usually are, the load nmst be such as the team can move by hard pulling in the worst places. After a heavy pull always give the team a breathing spell, and in the middle of a pull if the team can start the load once stopped. This any honest team will do unless the bottom is miry, that is, unless from standing the team and wheels sink deeper and deeper. In this case, the only way is to keep going until firm ground is reached. The average driver is sure to hurry his team in the mud. They should be taught to pull steadily and slowly, and when started again, after rest- 104 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. iiiii', to t;ike hold of the load steadily and with a growing impulse until it moves. XVII. How to Train a Kacer. The training of racing stock, whether for running or trotting, is a fine art, and one which it would take a volume to properl}' describe in print. There are certain essentials, however, which are easily understood, and which every one who breeds stock for speed should know. The colt having been taught to gallop easily and naturally, should be put upon good sound oats and the cleanest hay. Ho should be carefully blanketed and groomed and his legs hand rubbed until fine. The exercise should be daily, upon a good course, and ridden under the direction of a horse- man who is thoroughly up in his business. When this cannot be, the work must be done" under the instruction of the master. In race riding, the jockey throws about all his weight in the stirrups, steadying himself with the knees and thighs. The seat of the body is carried well l)ack, the loin slighth' arched, so the weight M'ill not be brought too far forward, as the breech would bo if the rider should stand straight in the stirrujjs. A jockey of ordinary weight will be found to carry his leg, from the knee, slightly thrown back ; thus by stiffening his knee he can change his center of gravity without ceasing to stand in the stirrups. Very light jockeys ride with longer stirrups, throwing their weight principally on their thighs, and with their breech raised entirely from the saddle, thus giving them a strong hold on the horse. Standing in the siirrup, however, cannot be long endured, and is only used for fast racing or galloping over bad ground, rough or deep, or in the case of a hill that must be passed quickly over. Traininff to racing speed on the fai-m may be sunmied up as follows : a smooth track, regular feeding four times a day with the soundest of oats and hay, with a bran mash often enough to keep the bowels in regu- lar condition ; the most careful grooming, with plenty of hand rubbing of the logs ; sweating exercise every day, and thorough cleaning afterwards ; a trial gallop to extend the limbs, with an occasional spurt to note the in- crease of speed, and occasionally a fair trial at the distance which the horse is trained, to test liis speed, powers of endurance, improvement, and cai)abilities. XVin. Training a Stallion. The training of a stallion should •■ommence from the time that it is in- tended to keep him as such, and certainly from the age of one year, THE HORSE, HOW TO BRE', racers are often "drawn down" too fine, and the ordinary work horse too often suffers from neglect. Thus in the first class we see a number of diseases seldom shown in the stables of horses with suf- ficient care, while the stables of horses carefully kept seldom suffer with the class of diseases found when horses are allowed to go dirty from day to day, and often from week to week. To commence at the beginning, the breeder who would succeed with any class of horses, should see that the mare, while carr^^ng the foal, has sufficient food and shelter, and that the foal itself is sufficiently nour- ished during the period of growth. Nothing is gained by insufficient shelter and food, whatever the use for which the auimal is intended, and this brings us to the question of the food itself. n. What to Feed. In the West the feed of all horses of whatever class is oats, Indian corn, bran and hay. Whatever the work to be done, bran should always be kept, since a horse being off his feed, or slightly ailing from any cause not indicative of violent disease, bran mashes with good nursing will bring him out all right in nine cases out of ten. So, in the Winter when horses are confined to hard food, a bran-mash once a week should be given, and this generally on Sunday morning. On the farm there is nothing better than an occasional feed of roots — carrots, Swedish turnips, or mangel wurtzel — being valuable in the order named. If a peck of these could be given daily as an evening or noonday meal, the good effects of this feeding would be quickly shown. For the mai-es before foaling time, for the farm or draft horse, for the carriage horses of the citizen, and even for the fast driven roadster, or racer, when not being driven to exhaustive work, these will be found valuable. The foal itself should be learned to eat roots as quickly as possible, and if the mare takes kindly to them it will not be a difficult matter for the foal to learn to eat them. As to the other food of the young colt or filly, oats alone with grass or hay, according to the season, should be allowed. In the Winter, half oats and half corn may be given with ben- efit, unless the young things are intended for racing or trotting, and are kept in warm stables ; then Indian corn would not be desirable, as being too heating under the circumstances. For the ordinary farm team, or other horses of slow work, Indian corn mav be the main dependence in Winter, in connection with good hay ; especially so if a few roots can be allowed as a portion of the daily provender. For fast working horses, sound oats and hay will be the THE HORSE, HOW TO FEED, WATER AND GROOM. 113 principal dependence, but in the Winter we have always given one-tliird of the weiirlit of the daily grain ration in Indian corn, and we have always thought, with decided benefit. III. When to Peed. The importance of strict regularity in feeding is underestimated by nine-tenths of the ordinary feeders, and by fully one-half of the stable- men having the care of well bred horses. The horse, for whatever pur- pose he is used, if actively eniplo^x-d, should not get less than three feeds a day, besides the hay he eats during the night. All fast working horses should have four feeds a day. The hours of feeding are of prime im- portance. These should be, as closely as possible, at six in the morning, at noon, and at six at night, except at those pressing seasons of extra labor, when the morning feed may be an hour earlier and the evening feed an hour later. In this case, however, nose-bags should be carried to the field, or they should be turned to the wagon at 10 A. M. and at 4 P. M. to take one-third their usual allowance, as given morning and evening, which meals, as a rule, should be rather more than the noonday feed. When corn is the main dependence as feed these lunches should be of oats, and if bruised so much the better. Fast working horses should receive their food four times a day, at six in the morning, at ten, at two, and at nine at night. Carriage horses should be fed the same number of times, the first feed being at six, and the last after their real work for the day is done, tay at nine at night, since simply going to some place of amusement at eleven o'clock or later can hardly be called work. The mid-morning and afternoon meals will depend upon the hours at which they are generally used, nine A. M. and 1 P. M. being the usual times for feeding. IV. Watering. Watering and the water used is of fully as much importance as the feeding. A horse is particular as to the water he drinks, but yet may be accustomed to any water without detriment if it be fit for human use. The water of large lakes, rivers and running brooks is best and in the order named. That of ponds without outlet or inlet the worst ; in fact pond water should never be used ; well water is altogether better and may be given without fear, when used constantly, but as with man, the horse accustomed to lake or river water, which is always partially soft, should be given well water, when necessity requires, with care and only in small quantities, the change being gradually made. Water should always be 114 ILLUSTRATKD STOCK DOCTOR. offered before feeding, iuid never given in large drafts immediatel}' after feeding ; two to four (quarts nia_y be given with beuetit ininiediatei}' after dry feed, to properly moisten the stomach, and it may be freely given iu two or three hours after feeding. "When driving, water should be offered, esi)eciallv in hot weather, at every stop, but only a few quarts should l)e taken at a time, for a heated horse, like a heated man, will take more than is good for him. Upon stopping, wash the hoi'se's mouth with a sponge soaked iu water, and let him swallow each time two or three light sips, just enough to moisteu the throat, and upon starting give him four to six (juarts eaeh as the occasion seems to demaud. Under no circum- stances allow a heated horse to drink heartily. Farm teams and slow draft horses, at ordinary labor, may be allowed what they will naturally drink, hut when heated the same rule must be observed as with hard driven horses. With these simple rules kept in view anj^ iutelligent owner or driver may keep his team fresh and without danger. V. Kinds and Quantities of Food to be Given. We have already spoken of the proper food to be given under ordinary circumstances ; they are sound, whole grain, and bright, clean ha}'. Cer- tain classes of horses, as omnibus horses, stage horses, car horses, and the draft horses of large mercantile lirms in cities, are generally fed ground feed and cut hay. AVhen the hours of feeding and rest may be estimated with accuracy, this is on the whole as conducive to the health of the animal as maj- be, when the economy of such feeding is considered, especially when we remember that in large cities a regular veterinary sur- geon is employed, who visits the stables regularly to look after the well- being of the horses, and also where the superintendents and foremen are supposed to be experts. On the farm, and in the stables of road-driving horsemen, and whei-e carriage horses are keiit, cut feed may very properly and economically form from one-third to one-half of the daily food given. When only one feed is ijiven it should be in the morning ; when two are given, they should be the morning and evening feeds. As to the (]uantitv to be given, no definite rule can be laid down. The horse must have a (piantity fully sutficient to keep him well up to his work. Hard working horses may, if regularly fed, have what grain and hay they will eat clean, and in this case there is no better judge than the animal itself, except in the case of ravenous gluttons, sometimes found anions: horses as in the human family. Elaborate rules have been laid down bv theorists, including a per cent, of grain according to the weight of the animal. In practice they will not work, since the labor, condition THE HORSE, HOW TO FEED, WATER AND GROOM. 115 of the aniniiil, temperature of the season, and of stables must be consid- ered. In the large omnibus stables where all the work is to be got out of horses that they can endure, from ten to fourteen pounds of cut hay per day are given, with from eighteen to twenty pounds of corn meal. Mix into provender, and on it they will go from eighteen to twenty miles each day. With this about three poumls of salt may be allowed each month. Some stable men do not feed more than one pound, arguing that a large quantity produces profuse staling ; others feed up to four. In times of extra severe labor the cornmeal is increased by about three pounds. It would be better if the three pounds of meal where omitted and one extra feed of six quarts of whole oats be substituted, and given daily. The average livery horse may be kept in good condition on twelve pounds of hay and eight pounds of cornmeal daily, to be given at two feeds with the addition of six quarts of oats at noon, eight pounds of hay to be fed cut, with the meal, and four pounds from the manger. This same feed would do for ordinary farm horses at usual work, or if the grain is fed whole, five quarts of shelled corn, or its equivalent in ears, and six quarts of oats, with what hay \vill be eaten should keep the ani- mal in working condition. VI. How to Prepare the Food. In preparing chopped feed, half the hay to be used, or clean, bright, long straw cut into aljout three-quarters to one inch lengths, should be put into the mixing trough half an hour before it is to be mixed, and thoroughly moistened. On this throw the meal, mill-feed, or whatever article is to be used, and moisten it. Then cover with sufficient hay to make the mess for the desired number of horses, weighing both hay and meal. Let it stand until feeding time, when the whole should be worked over and over until thoroughly mixed. . If salt is given with the mess, put in the required quantity for each horse, from one-quarter to half an ounce per horse each feed. Man}'^ stablemen mix the mess half a day in advance, but this we do not like. Horses, like men, like their food fresh. An iron box is best for mixing, and it should be thoroughly cleaned after each meal, VII. How to Make Mashes, Gruel and Hay-tea. The ordinary sweet mash, as usually made, is to take four quarts of good bran, moisten it gradually with hot water, and then mix with what boiling water will bring it up to the proper consistency for eating, cover- ing it ^vith a cloth and feeding either warm if the animal will eat it so, 11(5 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. or else eold. Wluit salt will lie on a quarter dollar may or may not be mixed with it. A better mash, especially for dry fed horses, is to boil two (juarts of oats and a pint of linseed, for each horse, for about three hours, and then mix with it sutfieient bran to bring it to a proper consistency. Cover with a cloth and feed cold. Such a mash given once a week, if the horses are on average feed, will keep their bowels in condition. If off their feed, add a little salt and a half pint of molasses. GiU'icL is one of the best possible things for a beaten out horse. Stir gradually in a gallon of water, a pint or a quart of oat-meal, or half tlour and half corn-meal, according as the horse likes it thick or thin, and fill up the pail with cold water. If the horse hesitates about drinking it, give him first a mouthful of Mater. If he be very tired a (|uart of sound ale will do him good, but under no circumstances, when exhausted, should he be given a feed either of grain or hay. If the horse will take nothing else, turn down a bottle of sound ale, rub him until dry and refreshed, and then feed. Hay tea is also a good stnnulant. To make it — fill a ])ucket three- quarters full of bright, clean hay, pour over it enough boiling water to fill the pail, and cover tight, to keep in the steam. Press the hay down occasionally, let it stand fifteen minutes, turn off, and add water enough to make a bucket three-cjuarters full. Give to the horse when the liquid is cool enough to drink. vni. The Value of Hay and Straw. In the feeding of horses the principal use of hay is to distend the stomach. For this reason lean horses, and those just off the pasture on coarse feed, require more than those which are regularly stabled and groomed. The change to grain must not be too sudden, else indigestion is apt to set in. Once a horse is used to full rations of grain, if oats are used, or corn meal and bran, he may get along daily with from six to eight pounds of hay a day. The hay, liowever, must be of the very best, bright, clean and free from dust. There is no economy in feeding bad hay. It is the cause of heaves, broken wind and other diseases produced by indigestion. Good clean straw is altogether better than poor hay. Straw is altogether the best material for bedding, and should always be used when it can be had. In the West it is plenty, and A'et not one farmer in ten uses it for beddiug in sufficient quantity or renews it often enough. THE TIOIJSE, HOW TO SHELTER. 117 IX. reeding Grain. The most economical way of feeding grain on the farm is in its whole state. Oats and corn .should be shaken in a sieve with a mesh so small that it will not go through, all dust and light matter blown away, and all stones, bits of iron or wire, carefully picked out. It will pay tiie farm- er to do this as well as any other stable man. In feeding corn allow one-half the measure of shelled corn that would be deemed sufficient of oats, since corn weighs about double that of oats. If corn in the ear is fed, one-third more by measure heaped should be allowed than when shelled grain is used. In other words the stable must use seventy pounds of ear corn when fifty-six of shelled corn would be given, ov 112 pounds of oats. Some horses cat their grain bettor for being moistened. If so, moisten it, but as a rule we like to feed whole gr.un dry, since the horse is obliged to grind it l)etter to get it in condition for swallowing. Horses with bad teeth always bolt their food whole. All such horses, and also aged ones, should be fed cut hay and ground feed. X. Stable Care and Training. The importance of steadiness and care in the management of the stable and in the cleaning of horses cannot be over-estimated. A brutal stable- man, or one which a horse fears, should be immediately discharged. There is indeed now and then a horse that requires to be kept in terror. These of course are exceptions. The competent stable-man should use neither fear nor brutality. Not half the so-called strappers (cleaners) arc fit to l)c about a horse. Many staltle-men imagine the curry comb is an instrument for cleaning the legs and body of the horse. It is an instrument for cleaning the brush and for loosening the scurf on the fleshy — not bony — parts of the body. In using the curry comb, do so lightly, carrying it in circles rather than in straight lines. Use a wisp of hay for rubbing the dust from the legs, and a corn cob for the fetlocks, finishing with the brush. In brushing, do so thoroughly, with firm, long strokes, where possible, being careful in working about the head and bony parts. Clean the brush often by passing it over the teeth of the curry comb. When the scurf and dust are thoroughly cleaned out, go over the horse with a damp wisp of hay, and finish with dry cloths, being particular to get any particles of dirt out of the fetlocks, the ears, al)out the head, next the tail, below the thighs, under the jaws, and between the fore-legs. A horse 118 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. thus cleaned, whether he belongs to the farm or the city stable will not occasion shame on the part of the owner. It is a question among horsemen, whether when a team comes in wet and muddy at night, it is proper to wash them. We have never found advantage in so doing. Clothe them warmly, bandage the legs loosely, and when dry, clean them, at least so far as removing the dirt, and getting up a glow at tlie surface is concerned. Thus handled, horses will seldom be found liable to surfeit, scratches, grease, and other diseases induced by checking the natural perspiration. XI. The Time to Clean. Clean when the horse is dirty. Alwa^-s once a day when the horse is kept in the stable. Horses that run in the lields in Summer, or in the shed yard in "NA'inter require no cleaning. Nature pro^'ides a natural scurf that defends them from the changes of the weather. Before work horses are littered down for the night they should be again thoroughly cleaned if necessary. As, for instance, if the animal has been on the road or in the field ; it is important and will lighten the morning cleaning, apart from real necessity of the case. Whenever the horse comes into the stable from the plow or wagon, for the day, he should be thoroughly cleaned ichen dry enough, and if sweat- ing or otherwise wet should be thoroughly scraped at once. The scraper is a thin, flexible piece of wood ; a section of barrel hoop makes a good one. In any event a horse once in the stable, clean him thoroughly, un- less he be taken out again after being "baited." If he remain in the stable long enough for the operation, clean him especially as to the limbs, and if there is time, as to the body. It may seem like a good deal of work, but it will pay. xn. Care of the Feet. The feet are half the horse, in fact a horse with bad feet, is as near a worthless animal as possible. Attention to the feet is therefore of the first importance. In this connection shoeing is to be attended to. Know that the blacksmith undei'stands his business. There are as many igno- rant botch-workmen in cities as in the country. The horse's foot should be a study, and every horseman should understand the anatomy of the foot ; this will be given in its proper place. How to care for the feet is in place here. When the horse is brought in from work, each foot should be lifted, cleaned, and examined with the picker to see that no gravel or other hard substance has found lodirment between the shoe and hoof, or THE HORSE, HOW TO SHELTER. 119 about the frog. Examine the frog to see that no substance is wedged therein, and that no nail or other sharp object has pierced the sole. If the hoofs are inclined to be hard and dry, fill them with a mixture of cow-dung and clay, or with oakum saturated with tar and petroleum. Watch them for contraction of the hoof, caused by allowing the shoe to remain on too long, or from bad shoeing. If the frog gets torn and rag- ged, cut the ragged edges but leave the frog intact. If the hoof ))e found pierced with a nail, and you are not perfectly sure 3'ou have pulled out every bit, cut it out at whatever labor it may be to you, or pain to the animal. Then dress the wound with a pledget of tow saturated with tar. If the hoofs are inclined to be hard and brittle, oil them occasionall}', or let the horse stand, say for an hour or two, or for a half day on Sunday, in a box of soft clay and cow-manure, coming prettywell up the hoofs. Thus by the exercise of care and judgment you may keep the feet, what they ought to be, the better part of the horse. XIII. Blanketing— When Necessary. A blanket is always necessary when the horse is standing in the stable in Winter. A light sheet is about as necessary in Summer, during fly time. A blanket should always be thro^sTi over the horse in cold Avcather, or even in the cool weather of Spring and Autumn, when standing after being driven. A horse should always be blanketed when standing in a draft, or in the rain, using a cloth or rubber blanket as the case may be. In blanketing a horse, see that the blanket is sufficiently large to cover the animal from the neck to t-he tail, see also that the breast flaps are sufficient to protect this sensitive part, and that the blanket is large enough to cover the sides and flank fully. If not, do not buy it at any price. Buy a blanket for each horse, and having them use them when necessary, buckling them on so they will stay. Very many stable-men have a number of blankets for each horse ; this is well enough if they can afford it, but one blanket to each horse, with enough in reserve so a dry blanket may be had as occasion requires, and with a good surcingle to each blanket, is all that is really necessary. XIV. Proper Tools for the Stable. The tools necessary for cleaning a horse properly may be very few or many. As a rule any horse may be properly cleaned M-itii a scraper, a curry comb, a brush, a sponge, a comb, a wisp of straw, and a rubbing cloth. Horse pails lioth for washing the horse and for waterinjr are in- dispensable to any stable but never use one for the other. These should 120 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. be of oak, half an inch thick, and with strong iron bails, and to hold fourteen quarts. The set of cleaning tools should be provided for every two horses. Every stable should have two manure forks, one of steel and one of wood, splint broom, a scoop shovel, and a wheel-barrow. With these any stable may be kept clean, and if the eye of the master is kept on the help, the horses will not suffer for want of care. And these essen- tials to a stable, and the treatment suggested, are urged on the score of economy. They pay. AVe also urge them from humane considerations, and those of neatness and system. In all respects kindness and attention to a horse are both satiafactorv and remunerative. CHAPTER IX. BENEFITS OF KIND AND CAREFUL TREATMENT. ABUSING A FAITHFUL SERVANT. II. WHAT ARE BARBARITIES. III. A I'lCTURE FROM LIFE. IV. THE OTHER SIDE. V. A GOOD FARMER'S SURRODXDINGS. VI. FARMER U.VTHRIFT'S barn. VII. HIS HOME. \^II. THE CAREFUL MAM'S THEORY. IX. USING THE MEANS WE HAVE. X. AN INFALLIBLE RULE. I. Abusing a Faithful Servant. The horse is the nK)st useful servant of mun, as he is one of the most noble of animals. He is fortunate if he falls into the hands of a kind and considerate master. Fully one-half of the horses used in civilized countries are driven by persons brutal in their temper and instincts, who, coming into possession cf a horse suffering from disability, inflicted by some former owner, or perhaps reduced in value by age, are sold for a song, and thereafter the poor tortured brutes wear out a most miserable existence, until at length they drop in their tracks, literally driven to death. This picture is not overdrawn. Go into any of our cities, and on to many of the farms of the land, and see animals in every .stage of incurable disorders. On farms horses disabled for city use in the posses- sion of some renter, whose only aim seems to be to see how soon and on how little food he can wear out the misera})le animal. Contrast these with the horses that are carefully fed and cared for, and by actual count the i-esult will be surprising even to a veterinarian. As a rule, the horses of the better class of farmers fare the best. The}^ are not pampered, it is true, neither are they overdriven or overworked. If they remain on the farm, they are capable of full work until they are 122 ILLl STIiATKl) STOCK DOCTOK. twi'iitv voars old. How inaiiy arrive at this age? Not one iiitiftv. The most of tiioin die under seven years of age. II. What Are Barbarities. Their name is legion. It is harbarous to overload or overdrive an- imals ; to give them insufricient food and water; to allow them to stand VM lit lllK I HI Kl. AXI> I.MlUO\ IIU'.XI' MASIKK. AN1> TUF. I'seAl. fil'KltOl'NuINGS. day after dav uneleaned and in tilth, denying them even the poor boon of (leaning themselves ; to work them during the progress of spavin or ring- bone, navieular disease, with corns, gravel, or other painful ailments of THR tloIiSK, KIM) TKEATMKNT. 123 the foot; to let them stiind shiveriiij^ in tlie cold, or in apologies for sta- bles, in inclement weather without l)lankets ; to drive them in the mud and mire and neglect to clean them ; to ride them under torturing sad- dles, or to drive them in galling collars and harness ; to use; l)adlv fitting Tllli T^;.^J1 (,1- ihe kind and CAUKPUL master, and the NAIUl.AL SUIiUOUNDINli! or torturing hits, and then jerk their tender mouths because their agony will not allow them to cany their heads directly in line or go straight ahead ; to ride or drive through deep mud at a pace which ijuickly ex- hausts the animal, and then beat with a loaded whip, because they flag, or spur them until their sides are a gore of blood ; to keep the poor !) 124 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. creatures in terror, from fear of the whip, and then beat with renewed vigor because tlie iiniocent brute does not comprehend what the master really does not know himself ; to give the faithful servant over to the tender mercies of some man who calls himself a blacksmith, who either pricks him with a nail, pares down the hoof and tlie frog to the quick, and then because the poor animal cringes, holds back or perhaps stum- bles, beats him for it. Such are a few of the more common of the cruelties inflicted, and which may be seen day by day by any who will notice. A man cannot pass along the streets in any large city, on any dajs without seeing some of these things. The observing man need not travel far in the country to see some such picture as we i)resent of the farmer who believes in letting his stock shift for themselves when not at work, and is careful not to over-feed when they struggle with the plow or wagon. III. A Picture from Life. But, say some readers, the picture on page 122 is a fancy sketch. Not at all. It is drawn from life. The sui)erannuated, rat-tailed horse, with one ear gone, blind, spavined, ill kept and ill fed ; the mule, still more rat-tailed than the horse, intact only as to his ears, the broken-down fence, the edge of the marshj^ pond, serving as a wallowing place for hogs, and as a watering place for the family and stock ; the dilapidated stable ; the log cabin — all are true to life. There is but one redeeming feature in the whole scene : the wife begging that a little land may be left in front of the house unplowed. Will it be granted? Not so. The ragged edged plow will cut as close to the corner of the cabin as possible, and then bear off in a circle in the near distance beyond. Land is too valuable to spare any next the house, but the weeds and dilapidated fence tell a tale of plenty of land beyond. If the traveler chose he might learn the cause of all this. A history made in the corner grocery of the village, over the broken bridge. Contrast this with the companion picture we give on page 123, and which tells a very different tale. IV. The Other Side. It is of the farmer who is well-to-do by his own tact and energy. His team is trained to almost human intelligence. Strong, able liorses, whose dams were kindly worked and carefully fed. When foals they were early taught to take their oats. In Winter they were carefully housed, their training commencing within a few days of their birth ; broken in at two THE HOKSE, KIND TREATMENT. 125 years old, worked gently, and at three past given full liberty again until four. They are now six years old, trained to go without lines, a gray and a bay ; well bred ; weighing 1250 each ; capable of going a mile in four minutes to the farm wagon. How much think you they are wortli? Let us whisper it ; $S()0 has been refused. A foolish farmer is he not, to keep so much money in afarni team? Perhaps not. He asks $1200, and he will get it. He has fultilled the conditions we have given as to bi-eeding, feeding, watering, care, shelter, breaking and training. They have lacked for nothing he could give them, and in turn refuse nothing they may be able to do for him. V. A Good Parmer's SurroundingB. The surroundings of a man in any condition in life, whether he be rich or poor, are an index to his character. The animus of all men is to make money, but some possess in connection, a love of the beautiful. Without method in labor no man can be successful. The farmer who has method, and an eye for the beautiful, and only comfortably well oif , perha))S. will show his barn yards and surroundings something like the following illus- tration : THK BARN OF Tllii Pl;o\Il>li.Ni' i.lASlEU. His barns are tight and ample, and filled to the ridge-pole with fodder. His yards are protected with shelter-belts and wind-breaks, his pastures and meadows ample and luxuriant, and his crops well tilled and heavy. Inside his barns will be found a place for everything and everything in its place. VI. Farmer Unthrift's Bam. On the other hand we give a view of the barn of the improvident master. His well, simply a hole in the ground where the drainage of the vard may enter, the roof of the hovel rent and torn, the delapidated doors propped 126 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. up with rails, tlie weather-boards fallen or falling off, and the whole thing shaky, like the master's mind. Fine stock, fat, and well groomed, have come out of hovels of barns ; they were made warm and comfortable. It 15 not the most expensive structures that always contain the best stock, but in the end the better barn will be built. We have never seen good stock issue from such a barn as we have shown, and it only needs to show the house the farmer lives in, with its bru.?h heai), its line of ragged clothes, the ragged, dirty children, and generally dilapidated appearance, to complete the pictorial story of general unthrift. ■UiMKli UNIURIFTS BARN. VII. Farmer Unthrift's Home. FAUMHH UNT11[:^FT Such a man will raise his colts from spavined and broken down mares ; thev will shift for themselves upon scanty pasture in Summer, and in the brush in Winter. He believes in hardening his stock, and he does it; hardens them into "runts," not worth a month's keeping. They are literally broken to work, broken in body and temper with cruel blows ; they are halter-broken too, the halter is a rope knotted about the neck, like the poor old horse shown on next page, tied outside the barn for the benefit of the fresh air it may get ; a starved out skeleton horse, contem- platino" the skeleton of a barn. Even in such a barn there are capabilities that may be utilized for comfort. It may be reshingled, and new clap- boarded, and the doors hung on their hinges. It may even be patched up so as not to leak, and be banked up to keep out the cold. But will it THE HORSE, HOW TO SHELTER. 127 be? Hardly ! The picture of the old house, the wreck of a horse, the old rope around the neck, the rotten bai"n, all tell of more money spent at the dram-shop than for the maintenance and comfort of the family or the well-being of the stock. THE BARN OF THE CRUEL MASTER. A MODEL HALTER ON A MODEL COLT. VIII. The Careful Man's Theory. As an accompaniment to this we give an illustration of a well-kept colt in a model halter for unbroken hoi'scs. By slipping both ends of the chin strap through the ring of the tying rope, it is a halter for a well broken horse. The man who possesses such stock and fixtures may not be rich ; probably is not, but he is a careful, thinking, reading, method- ical man, who believes in doing everything well. He uses no cruel bridles, gives his colts no excuse for getting east in their halters. His harness seldom galls the team, and when it does, it is remedied at the first indication. However dirty his team goes into the stable, it always comes out clean and blooming ; not only this, such a master never finally leaves his team for the night, after a hard day's labor, until it is dry, well groomed, well littered down, and in every way comfortable for the night. In the morning his team are always ready for the field or road ; and however eager or spirited they may be, will travel along together, either ahead of or behind the master, and looking like the picture that we here give on following page — a lordly team, that only could belong to a kind and considerate master. They are not too many. The cruel, or shiftless", or drunken masters are plenty enough. The farm stock of many get barely enough to eat, and that in an irregular and improvident kind of way. They never pull very heavy loads, the master has not many to haul, and he believes ia 128 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. skim plowing. When he conies homo, he "runs them into the barn," such as it is ; or they take the yard foi- it, and in the morning very dosely resenihle the picture on the left: TEAM OF THE KIND MASTER. TEAM OP THE CRDEL MASTER. A "humped up,"' iumgrv, thirsty pair of servants to a cruel, because iinprovident master. Such a man may not be cruel in the sense of lieating. He may be really a kind-hearted man, a good neighbor, "thoroughly honest, as the world goes," he may even be a good Christian man, or fJiink so at least. He is cruel nevertheless. More cruel perhaps than the brute who belabors his beasts and then repents. Cruel in his improvidence, in his neglect of his farm and his stock. HIS DOOH-YAED CATE. UIS 1'IKL1>-GATE Is it any wonder that in the morning the team should be found in the yard, waiting for their breakfast. The wonder is that there should be anvthing, either in the house or out for either man or beast to breakfast on. If to neglect we add a cruel or l)rutal disposition, the animals of the farm are to be pitied, and the household likewise pitied, and prayed for. This chapter is pictorial, and not particularly given to practical infor- mation on the care of horses. It is a chapter of contrasts, and given deliberately, as indicating far more eloquently than mere words can, the difference between careful and kind treatment of stock, and cruel or THE HORSE, KIND TREATMENT. 129 neglectful tre;itment. It is, in fact, the story of thrift and unthrift. We expect few whom it might benelit will see it. The unthrifty man whom we have depicted, seldom sees books, and we might almost say, never buj^s one. Those however who do, ma}' j^crform good missionary work among the class wc liave represented, b}' showing them how quickly thrift will follow good intentions, religiously kept, backed up by honest industry, guided by careful judgment, and accompanied liy a will to perform. It will rejjair houses and barns, build gates and fences, culti- vate smiling tields, rear and train good stock, lift the moitgage off the farm, educate the growing family, and bring comfort and happiness to a once cheerless and suffering fanuly. IX. Using the Means We Havo. In the foregoing, it is not to be understood that expensive appearances are necessaiy for training a horse, neither is it to be understood that costly buildings are necessary. We have stated more than once that any farm animal may be kept in the most comfortable manner, in a structure made of poles and hay, and we will add, kept in as good health as in ex- pensive stables. The reason is that the master who uses care in making a simple structure warm and comfortable has humanity to start with, and generally gives his own personal care and supervision, while in costl)'' stables the animals are usually left to the care of men hired for the pur- pose. The owner, often, from the pressure of other Imsiness pursuits, being unable to do more than to drive a favorite animal or team. In perhaps a majority of cases he knows little or nothing of how a horse should be cared for, and of course nothing as to the fitness of those whom he pays for doing the work. The object of this work is to present in a condensed form the best prac- tices, founded upon common sense, and the experience of superior stockmen in the care of animals. A study of these pages will enable any person to acquire a good idea of the simplest and best means for arriving at a correct knowledge of how animals shcjuld be bred, raised, fed, trained, and cared for. He may thus understand hoM' to do the work himself, or, in case he be a man of business, or wealth and leisure, he may quickly know whether the help he relies on are doing their duty, not only in feed- ing and cleaning, in exercising and the general care of the animals under them, but also know at a glance, whether the animals are treated with the kindness and consideration that dumb brutes, but faithful servants, deserve from man. 130 ILLrSTUATKD STOCK DOCTOR. X. An Infallible Rule. We lijive known a brutal stable-man to flofj a horse in the most t('rnl)le manner, simply to get rid of his own ugliness, as he expressed it, while at ordinary times he petted and made much of the animal. Such an auL mal will be frantic at the sight of a whip held in a threatening maimer. Animals that are in the habit of being struck with the pitchfork, or l)eing kicked and cuffed, will watch carefully the stable-man, and show by their nervousness in the stable what they are expecting, while of the master they wdl show no sign of fear. Stable-men are often cunning creatures ; they will have soothing words to quiet the animal in the presence of the master. We have always held that the horse should be spoken to Hrmly but quietly, and always have an inherent suspicion that a team exhibiting signs of fear at times, where we always hear the keein'r speaking to them in soothing tones, are abused in secret. No sane man would practice such treatment to his own stock, and no man who is obliged to leave valuable animals in the care of servants should fail to know that they are doing their duty. It is not enough that the stable-men feed the regular rations, that they clean and exercise prop- erly. It should l)e made inijjortant that in all their intercourse with the animals under their care, they be not unduly punished, nor in any other respect abused. CHAPTER X. HOW TO BUY. HOW TO GET CORRECT INFORMATION. II. THE BUYER MU8T KNOW WHAT HE WANTS. III. I'ROI'ORTIONS OF THE HOR.SE. 1\ . THE CLEVELAND HAY FOR PROFIT. V. HOW TO BUY A TROTTING HORSE. VI. ONE MUST KNOW WHAT HK BUYS FOR. VII. THE LIGHT HARNESS HORSE. VIII. SADDLE HORSES OF ALL GAITS. IX. THE HIGH- BRED HUNTING HORSE. X. RACING HORSES. XI. WHAT THE RACER SHOULD BE. XII. TO AVOID VICES AND DEFECTS — HOW TO DETECT. XIII. OTHER FAULTS AND IMPERFECTIONS. I. How to Get Correct Information. Every horse owner .sooner or later becomes a judge nf v.'hat he i.s buy- ing. If he depends entirely upon the lessons learned through cheats that are practiced upon him by sharp jockeys, life is too short for him ever to become an adept in distinguishing vice, un.soundness, "dosed up" and used up horses as among the various tricks and swindles practiced upon the ignorant and unwary. Generally after being cheated, or aljsolutely swindled a few times, the breeder goes to the only correct source of information, concisely written and carefully illu.strated books. He is tlius enabled not only to study, but subsequently to carry in his mind what he has read and seen ; he comes to compare critically the living animal with the iUustrations and d(^scri]5ti()ns, and thus becomes an expert himself, and in a hundredth part of the time by which he could acquire correct information in any other way. This is precisely the means used by any professional man in the acquisition of true knowledge in the pursuit of his profession, whether it be in a learned profession or in the education to practical art. Thereafter practice makes perfect. n. The Buver Must Know What he Wants. Suppose he is looking for stock from which to breed trotting horses. He must then consider the type of horse he wishes to breed ; whether for 132 ILLUSTRATED STOCK UOCTOR. speed alone, or for style iiiid speed. That is, tirst class road horses, or large, strong, able horses, coml^ining in as great a degree as may be large size, strength, endurance and such style as may be conformable with this class of horses. As shomng whnt may ho done in colts got by breeding up out of roomy mares of fair style, bred to high class trotting stallions, we give three cuts of stallions, certainly good enough for sires, and as models of what such horses should be. The first showing eminent breeding, with THE HORSE, HOW TO BUY. 133 style cnouirh ; rather straight on his fetlocks, according to the idea of many good horsemen, but with length enough, from our standpoint, to give tlexil)ility. A horse compact and smooth, with excellent Hat and sinewy limbs, good feet, ample chest, good lungs, fine eye, broad fore- head, and strong jaws. The head not the ideal of modern " blood horsemen," but nevertheless showing do(tility and intelligence in a high degree. Showing also high breeding iu every part. 134 ILLUSTKATJil) STOCK DOCTOR. The cut on page 133 is of a horse of great style and endurance, fine all over. A horse that will go with his head well up ; limbs exceedingly hue, mane rather light, but with plenty of tail, as a horse should have ; evidently showing Morgan blood, dashed with Bell Founder and other thorough blood. Between the two, for real and intrinsic- merit, the first should he taken. There is plenty of stylo about him, and strength. There is also a body of fine character on limbs of great power. Such will be found accept- able and sought after always by gentlemen wanting a single horse, or a pair for drivning on the road, or for driving in the city park-ways in the THE HOKSE, HOW TO BUY. 135 afternoon. Either of the two will make capital and stylish saddle horses, if well trained, such as no gentleman of ordinary weight or any lady need be ashamed of when taking the afternoon trot or eanter on the fashionable boulevards or park-drives of our large cities, or on the streets or roadings of cities having no parks. The first the best horse, the sec- ond the most stylish. The third cut we give is that of a horse of large size and strong build, adapted for drawing as a single horse for the coupe, or one of a team to the family carriage ; as one of a pair for a coach or barouche ; one that will give satisfaction almost anywhere, if not driven over eight miles an hour, and capable as well of hauling loads on good roads, at a fast walking pace. A horse of this stamp, sixteen to sixteen and a lialf hands high, not particularly heavy set, rather long-limbed, with rangy neck and good head, witii plenty of spirit, and weighing about 1200 pounds, may be called a r/eneral uiilifij horse. Such will command ready sale at any time, if well broken and trained, say at from $200 to $;500 each, and if particularly nice and well matched, often at $800 or $900 the pair, as carriage horses when five or six years old. III. Proportions of the Horse. PROPOIITIONS OF TIIK VARIOUS PARTS . To arrive at a clear understanding of the proportions of the horse, we give an outline that will be a good study, not only for the beginner, but 13() II,I,U!ST1!ATEI) STOCK DOCTOR. will he v;ilu:il)lc for reference foi' ;ui\' horseman, however expert- he may be. This illustration coml)ines the average measurements of six horses, aceepted for perfect synmietry, and taken, says Mr. J. H. Walsh (Stoue- henge) — one of the most gi-aphic and lueid of English writers on the horse — two of them from celebrated stallions, two from thorough-bred hunters, and two from chargers of great value. This, therefore, will not apply to draft horses, but it will be found that the nearer the general utility horse comes to these measurements, the better he will be. Inches. Height 03 Length Iroin shoulder-point to quarter 66 From the h)vvest part of the cliest to the ground 36 From the elbow-point to the ground 39 From the withers to the pole, just behind theeiirs, ire a straight line 30 The same measured along the crest 32 Length of head 22 Width across the forehead 9 12 From the withers to the hip 22 From the stille to the point nl the hock, in the attitude shown in the plan 29 From the root ot the tail to the stifle-Joint 26 From the point of the hock to the ground 22 1-2 Length ot arm from the elbow to the pisiform bone (the rear bone of those forming the upper articulation of the knee) 19 1-2 From the pisiform bone to the ground 19 1-2 Girth varies from 78 to 79 Circumference of fore-cannon bone (large metacarpel or shank bone, extrud- ing from the knee to the fetlock) 7 1-2, 8, 8, 8, 8 1-2 and 9 Circumference of arm just below the elbow 1(! 1-2 to 18 The foregoing is not to be taken as a fixed rule in comparing ordinary horses, nor even those well-bred. Eclipse, for instance, may be given as a most wonderful horse, differing in many material respects from these measurements. He was three inches taller at the withers, and yet higher in the croup than at the withers. His head was of the same length as the average given, but it is said to ha^'e been twelve inches across at the forehead. He was a big horse in every respect; tall, lengthy, cai)acious in body, higher behind than before, his neck and back long, the loin roached, his limbs would by some be called long, but they were strong with large joints, but fine ; his quarters straight, square and extended ; thighs long and muscular ; shoulders only moderately oblique, and of fair depth ; his knees and hocks broad and well formed ; head small, and as will be observed from its great breadth of forehead, Arab-like. On the whole it would probably be difficult to imjirovc the proportions of P2clii)se, simi)lv as a weight-carrying racer. For the hunting field, the fine saddle horse, or any of the uses to which practical men put their horses, aside from flat racing, select as many of the superior points of THE IK)RSE, now TO lUY. 137 Eclipse as you caa find, I)ut leave out tlu^ low withers and high croup. The horse that will come to the standard that we have given iu the dia- gram, is as a rule the iiorse to huy. IV. The Cleveland Bay for Profit. Of late years this admirable and stylish horse as improved from the 13H ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOK. uld farm hm-si- of lift}' years ago, ha.s attracted attention in the United States, and especially in the West, where many fair specimens have been imported. As showing the characteristics when standing extended and at rest, we give a portrait of a pure bay, in color, with a star in the fore- head, and one white hind fetlock. These dashes of white not detracting from the style of any horse, and showing breeding. It is a hoi'se show- ing blood and breeding, with lofty crest, magnificent withers, round bar- relled, and clean limbed, a coat like satin, and a head of excellent pro- portions. Colts from such a horse out of large, roomy mares of good style, will always sell for high prices. When you find such a stallion do not be afi'aid to buy, he will pay, and his foals will pay for their feed and training. The old fashioned horse of this race, the Cleveland bay, is extinct and gone. The present form is the result of crosses with staunch thorough- breds, giving better form throughout, greater speed and eminent style. We consider them as among the very best from which to breed stylish animals from proper nuires. Horses that may do the ordinarj' farm work until six 3'ears past, and then be sold at good prices for stylish omnibus, express, light draft, and carriage horses in our cities. Farmers \yho have ■large, well built mares, wishing to breed colts that shall have size enough for any farm or road work ; that will breed to uniform color, so that they may be easily matched ; that will have style — not that of tlie blood horse, or light driving, or trotting horse — will do well to investigate the char- acteristics of the Cleveland bays. Canada has accjuired a high reputation for stylish, Avell matched coach horses. It is founded in a great measure upon crosses produced by breeding the modern Cleveland bays upon large, handsome mares of more or less breeding. Such horses if properly cared for Mill do eight or nine miles an hour, in harness, and under the saddle may be pushed up to twelve miles an hour ; are active in all their gaits, tractable, easily managed, intelligent, fast walkers, always I'eady for their feed, and as eager at labor, as they arc kind and intelligent every where. The late Henry William Herbert, (Frank Forester), a thorough horseman, an accurate judge of horse flesh, and a linished writer, in his voluminous work, "The Horse of America," thus describes the original Cleveland bay, and also the improved horse of his time : "The Cleveland liay, in its natural and unmixed form, is a tall, powerfully built, bony animal, averaging, I should say, fifteen hands three inches in height, rarely falling short of fifteen aud a half or ex- ceeding sixteen and a half hands. The crest and withers are almost invariabh' good, the head I)ony, lean, and well set on. Ewe-necks are, probably, rarer in this family than in any other, unless it be the dray-horse, in which it is never seen. THE HOUSE, HOW TO BUY. 139 The faults of shape to which the Cleveland Bay is most liable are narrowness of hodj', and flatness of the cannon and shank bones. Their color is universally bay, rather on the yellow bay than on the blood bay color, Nvith black mane, tail, and legs. They are sound, hardy, active, powerful horses, with excellent capabili- ties for draft, and good endurance, so long as they are not pushed beyond their speed, which may l)e estimated at from six to eight miles an hour, on a trot, or from ten to twelve — the hitter quite the maxinmm — on a gallop, under almost any weight." The large and more showy of these animals, of the tallest and heaviest type, were the favorite coach horses of their day ; the more springy and lightly built, of equal height, woj'e the hunters, in the days when the fox was hunted by his drag, unkennelled, and run half a dozen hours or more, before he was either earthed or worn out and worried to death. Then the shorter, lower, and more closely ribbed up were tlie road hackneys, a style of horse unhapj^ily now almost extinct, and having unequally substituted in its place a wretched, Aveedy, half-bred or three- quarters-bred beast, lit neither to go the pace with a weight on its back, nor to last the time. From these Cleveland BaAS, however, though ift their i)ure state nearly' extinct, a very superif)r animal has descended, which, after several steps and gradations, has settled down into a family common throughout all Yorkshire and more or less all the mid-land counties, as the farm horse, and riding or driving horse of the farmers, having about two crosses, more or less, of blood on the original Cleveland stock. The first gradation, when pace became a desideratum with hounds, was the stinting f)f the best Cleveland Bay mares to good thorough-bred horses, with a view to the progeny turning out hunters, troop horses, or, in the last resoit, stage-coach horses, or, as they were termed, machines. The most promising of these well bred colts were kept as stallions ; and mares of the same type, with their dams, stinted to them produced the improved carriage horse of fiftv vears ago. The next step was putting the half-bred fillies, l)y thorough-breds out of Cleveland Bay mares, a second time to thorough-bred stallions ; their progeny to become the hunters, while themselves and their brothers were lowered into the carriage liorses ; and the half-bred stallions which had been the getters of carriage horses were degraded into the sires of the new, improved cart horse. V. How to Buy a Trotting Horse. In no class of horses should the purchaser be more particular than in trotting horses, whether they be for the road or the turf. In this case 10 140 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. the judgment must be most critical. The mere looks of the horse is not the most important point. In the first place the animal must be entirely free from any blemish that could by any possibility be construed into unsoundness, in its incipient stage. 'I'lic auiiiuil may not be handsome^ to the uneducated eye, none ever are, when fined down for work. To illustrate this we give a portrait of Goldsmith Maid, a phenomenon such THE HORSE, HOW TO BUY. 141 as seldom appears on the turf. In her trained form she is goose rumped and inclined to he ewe-necked. An ordinary observer seeing her hitched to a wagon in the field, might pass her unobserved. Not so the critica. horseman. The mighty framework, great chest, magnificent limbs, the wonderful length from the stifle to the hock, the muscular form, all tell of wonderful force, put together fen- business, and without waste. Let us see what her record is, for this tells the whole story. Fast and continued exertion at trotting means display of great muscular power. It is as valuable in a horse in any other direction as in the exhibition of speed. Her Ctreat Trials. — The fastest time, meaning u]5 to the date given, all in harness, is as follows : In Harness. —Fastest one mile, Goldsmith Maid, Mystic Parlv, Boston, Sept. 2,1874, time 2:14. Fastest 2d heat. Goldsmith Maid, Mystic Parl<, Boston, Sept. 2, 1874, time 2:14. Fastest 3d heat, Luhi, Bufialo, N. Y., Aug. 10, 1875, and Goldsmith Maid, Bnftalo, Aug. 3, 1876, tinii; 2:15. Fastest Gi li heat, Goldsmith Maid, Hartford, Sept. 1, 1870, time 2:19 3-4. Fastest two consecutive heats, Goldsmith Maid (2d and 3d), Buffalo, .\ng. 3, 1876, time 2:16—2:15 1-4—2:15. Fastest four-heat race, Rochester, Aug. 14, 1S75, Goldsmith Maid winning llie first heat, and Lula the next three, time 2:15 1-2—2:16 1-2—2:15 1-2—2:17. Fastest five-heat race, Cleveland, July 27, 1876, Goldsmith Maid winning the first two, and Smuggler the succeeding three heats, time 2:15 1-2—2:17 1-4-2:16 1-4—2:19 3-4—2:17 1-2. Fastest six-heat race, Hartford, Sept. 1, 1876. Smuggler winning the first two, making a deal heat with Goldsmith Maid for the third, and the Maid winning tiie next three, time 2:15 1-4—2:17—2:16 3-4—2:17 1-4—2:18-2:19 3-4. If we compare this with other records of fastest time in various ways of going, and at all ages, it will be seen that the American trotting horse, owing as the best of them do, their superior qualities to the thoi'ough blood in them, are not at all inferior to their racing congeners of the turf. That many turf-men are ill-bred and tricky is unfortunate. It does not detract from the real merits of a useful servant to man, and one of the noblest animals on the face of the earth. The fastest time of other celebrated horses will be interesting in this connection, and hence we give the record as follows: Fastest two miles, Flora Temple, Eclipse Course, L. I., Aug. 16, 1859, time 4:.50 1-2. Fastest three miles, H'mtress, Prospect Park, L. I., Sept. 23, 1872, time 7:21 1-2. Fs-stest four miles. Trustee, Union Course, L. 1., June 13, 1849, time 11:06. Fastest five miles. Lady Mack, Sau Francisco, Cat, April 2, 1874, time 13:00. Fastest ten miles. Steel Grey, Birmingham, Eng., April 13, 1876, time 27:56 1-2. Fastest twelve miles, Topgallant, Philadelphia, 1830, time, 38:00. Fastest fifteen miles, Girda, San Francisco, Cal., Aug. 6, 1874, time 47:20. Fastest twenty miles, Capt. MoGowan, Boston, 18.56, time .58:25. Fastest fifty miles, Ariel, Albany, N. Y., 1846, tinvj 3:56-40 1-2. 14-2 ILLUSTKATED STOCK DOCTOR. Fiirtest one liuiidred miles, Conqueror, Long Island, Nov. 12, 1858, time^8:55:53. Fastest Isc heit. Smuggler, Harttord, Conn., Sept., 1, 1876, tune 2:15 1-4. Fastest 4ih heat. Lula, Rochester, N. Y.. Aug. 14, 1875, time 2:17. Faste.st Bth heat, Smuggler, Cleveland, July 27, 1876, time 2:17 1-2. Fastest four consecutive heats. Smuggler (3d, 4th, 5th, Gth), Hartford, Sep. 1, 1876, time 2:1G 3-4—2:17 1-4—2:18—2:19 3-4. (At Rochester, Aug. 14, 1874, Gloster trotted a four-heat race in 2:18—2:17 3-4—2:17—2.19, the first being a dead heat with Red Cloud ; the aggregate time of the four heals being the same in both races; btit the former is unquestionably the better performance.) THE HORSE, HOW TO BUY. 143 Colt Races IN Harness.— Fastest mile by a yearling— Memento— Lexiugtou, Ky., Oct. 10, 1877 (not a recoril), time 2:5« 3-4. Fastest mile by a two-year-old— So-So — Lexington, Oct. 12, 1877, time 2:31. Fastest mile by a three-year-olJ— Elaine— Hartford, Sept. 19, 1877, time 2:28. Fastest mile by a lour-year-old— Keen Jim— Lexington, Oct. 12, 1877, time 3:24 1-2. (Gov- ernor Spraguu trotted a mile, as a four-year-old, at Buflalo, Aug. 10, 187.5, between the heats of a race, in 2:21 lA, as timed by the official judges of the course ; but, as it was not in a race, the lime does not constitute a technical record.) Fastest mile by a live-year-old— Gov.Sprague—Poughkeepsie, Aug. 22, 1870, time 2:20 1-2. Trotting to Wago.v. — Fastest one mile, Judge Fullerton, San Francisco, Nov. 1874, time 2:20 1-2. Fiistest two miles. Gen. Butler and Dexter, eacli a heat. Long Island, 1863, time 4:.")6 1-4. Fastest three miles, Kemble Jackson, June, 1853, time 8:03 Fastest four miles, Longfellow, Ut-c. 31,1809. time 10:34 1-2. Fastest five mile.s, Little M;ick, Long Island, Oct. 29. 18G3, time 13:43 1-2. Fastest twenty miles, John Stewart, Long Island, Sept. 22, 1808, time 59:23. Miscellaneous. — Fastest one mile, under s:iddle, Great Eastern, Fleetwood, N. V., Sept. 24, 1877, time 2:15 3-4. Fastest one mile, double team, Small Hopes arid Lady Mack, Fleetwood, N, Y., Sept. 11, 1877. time 2:23. Fastest one mile, with running mate, Ethan Allen, Long Island, June 21. 1807, time 2:15. VI. One Must Know What he Buys For In buying a trotting horse, one must first make u|) his mind just what the horse or team is wanted for. If simply for speed, all that is neces- sary is simply to examine the record made. No fast trotter is ever bought, except by its record. In the case of an untried colt, there are other considerations. The colt may grow up very ftist, or only of mod- erate speed. The inquiry then to be tLade, if the young thinif has brothers or sisters of a trotting age, is to examine their record. If not, examine the record of the sire and dam of the mother of the colt, and the record of the produce of the colt's sire. If they sire good, the chances are in the colt's favor. If l)ad, the chances are against him. Again, if the colts are to be used for driving on the road,;style and handsonii? action, may or may not be the prime integers. If mere speed here is the requisite, buy a trotter of the fa.stest gait your purse will allow. For road driving the style is regarded — and verv properly so — as of as much or more consequence than mere speed. In this the buyer shonld study the different illustrations we give of form, style and make-up. , VII. The Light Harness Horse In many cases, where the roads are su])crior, and the animal is used in a, vehicle of, the lightest construction, to carry only one person, size is 144 II.I.lIS'l'IJA'l'Kl) STOCK DOCTOR. not iihvavs iiooossarv. Very iiiiiiiy lioiscs of fourtoon and a lialf hands, arc exquisitely hundsonu' and inLiN(i. — Kxamine the knees to find if they arc scarred, or show the marks of i)revious injuries, or that have been operated upon for callosities. Then walk him over somewhat rough ground, and at a slow ])ace, with an entirely loose rein, to see if he trips or goes weaker on one leg than on the other. If he is a stumbler, he is the most dangerous animal a man can own, unless it be a kicker ; in fact, more so than the latter, since kicking may be guarded against, when knowing the vice. 3. — Kicking. — If this is suspected, the animal will lay back his ears if a,pproached in an apparently careless manner, though horses do this sometimes from mere playfulness. If they are vicious, they will lay their ears more completely back, and the eyes will also denote their in- tention. Examine the stall where it is known they have stood for marks of their hoofs, and above all, give the animal a chance to show his propensity when the groom is not near. 4. — Pulling at the haltkh ok bhidle when tied. — Tie him up in a close yard, with a halter he can easih* break, leaving him quite alone for about half an hour, to exhibit his propensity if he will. 5. — Ckib-biting. — If the horse is a confirmed crib-biter, his teeth — the central incisors — will show wear where he has gi-asped objects to en- able him to get leverage to perform the operation. Tie him out to a stump, or at a post about three feet high, and watch him, no person being in his sight. 6. — Balking and backing. — Horses seldom balk under the saddle ; when they do, they are dangerous in the extreme, often stopping sud- denly when under motion, or backing into dangerous places. It is dif- ficult to detect, for they will sometimes go days, weeks and even months all right, and then suddenly show the vice. As a rule, it is exhibited by bad tempered, badly trained horses. A warrant from a respectable owner is the l)est guarantee. It may sometimes be detected, if a person strange to the horse mounts and attempts to start him sud- ISO ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. di'nl\'. Ill liiirnoss it may often bo detected hy the manner in which the animal starts and travels. 7. — The Kocjue. — The rogue is the horse of vices ; he may take the bit in his mouth and run away, he will rear, back, kick, strike, bite, and do twentj' other unpleasant tricks, not always from pure vice, but often from exhul)crance of spirits, or from being crossed in some way. The}^ gen- erally perform well enough after they have found out that their rider is their master. They are difficult to detect in their Aaees, except bj' the thorough horseman, well versed in every expression and act of the horse. 8. — Bisnoi'ED Teeth. — So named from the scoundrel who invented filing an old horse's teeth to make him look young, even to burning and blackening the cups formed. A careful study of the chart of the horse's teeth, given in this book, will enable any person to detect this, since it is impossible to cover the shrinking of the gums, b}' which the teeth sliow narrow, and are peculiar in shape. !l. — Weak Eyes. — Whatever the occasion, have nothing to do with a horse with bad eyes. Bring the animal from a rather dark stable just in- side the door where the full light may strike the eyes. Examine the lids and pupils carefully, to see if there is an}' considerable shrinking ; the eye should be al)le to bear the full light. Horses arc sometimes near- sighted, and also far sighted. Nearly all uliyinrj horses become so either from defect in vision or from cowardice. 10. — Moon Eyes. — This is a specific opiithalm}^ from whicli one or both eyes periodically change color, and during the paroxj'sm it may be- come entirely blind. During the interval the e3'es look natural. It is better, if the buyer suspects this, to take a warranty against it. 11. — Blindness. — This is sometimes difficult to detect by the ordinary observer by looking at the eyes. In rare cases the eyes may seem natural. A blind horse, however, may be detected by his mode of pi-ogression. As an example we give an illustration showing the mode of progression of a totally blind horse. XIII. Other Faults and Imperfections. The disa])ilitios noticed in the previous sections are those of positive unsoundness, or else of determined vice. Some others that should not be overlooked, are easily discovered by careful examination and test. These are : 1. — Glass Eye. — This, if not complicated with specific disease, does not interfere with sight in any resjioct. It is a serious defect, siinjily so far as looks are concerned. Usually only one eye has this peculiar white THE HOUSE, HOW TO BUY. 151 glassy appearance, the pupil perfect, and the iris (juite natural. It should affect the price of the animal, only as detracting from elegance. .-,^^H^- <^^^«'-*f THK MODE IN WHICH A HORSE PROGRESSES WHEN liLlKl). 2. White Spot. — Sometimes a small white spot will appear on the eye of a young horse, generally after three years of age, and usually near the outer corner. It has a peculiar cloudy appearance, sometimes increasing to the size of a hemp seed, and occasionally larger. The du- ration is variable, sometimes lasting for years, and again disappearing in a short time. It really impairs the vision but little, if any. Unless its history is known a veterinary surgeon should decide whether it is incipient cataract or not. Some veterinarians have termed it spurious cataract, but this is entirely a misnomer. The name white spot describes it perfectly. 3. Roaring. — This is the result of obstruction in some part of the larynx or trachea, impeding the breath, and causing a peculiar roaring sound when the animal is in motion. It is rarely found in the United States, being chiefly contined to draft horses. It is often the result of chronic cough. In England it is quite common, and M'hen present in a horse of fast work, will render him worthless for the road. It may be discovered by urging the horse to a fast gait. 4. Oblique Tail, ok Wry Tail. — This is caused by contraction of the muscles of the tail on one side. It may sometimes be improved by a surgical operation, and should be considered a serious defect in anj'^ horse, and especiall}^ so in a driving horse. 152 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. 5. TuRNiNo THE Toe of the Hook out ok in Unuulv, Sanu Cracks, Quarter Cracks, Dish Hoofs, Over-reaching, Interfering, etc., are all to be looked for before finalh' burying n horse. They are aU disalnli- ties that should not be present where the purchaser pays full price for the animal. Tho}' are, however, all so apparent that the purchaser is to blame if he fails to see them. (). Wolf Teeth. — These rudimentary' teeth, which are found in some horses but not in marcs, and which have been supposed by ignorant persons to produce blindness, and other diseases, are entirely harmless, except for the abrasion they sometimes occasion to the tongue and checks. If they do so they are easily taken out by any sensible blacksmith. In fact it is quite well to extract them, not that they will produce serious disease, but simply because they are not of an>' value, are useless to the animal, and may occasion slight inconvenience. 7. Shying. — This is one of the most dangerous habits a horse can have, whether it be occasioned by cowardice — seldom the case ; injudi- cious punishment — more common ; or from defective eyesight, or from all these combined. If you are so unfortunate as to have a shying horse endeavor to break him of the vice by allowing him to examine objects of which he is afraid, by speaking soothingly to him, but never by whipping or spurring him. "When he shows a disposition to shy turn his head to rather than from the object. Stop him ; let him approach the object and touch it with his nose, for soon he will aiiproach it himself. If simply caused by nervousness, he may thus be cured. If caused by being short sighted there is no means of relief. Before you buy a horse be certain that he has not this infirmity, as dangerous a one as it is disagreeable. Such an animal is only fit to be driven by the side of another horse who will keep him to his work, and upon which he at length will come to depend, or of being driven as a wheeler in a team of four horses. CHAPTER XI. HOW TO BUY, CONTINUED. BUYING CHEAP HORSES. II. COLOR, IN RELATION TO VALUE. III. ACTION. IV. FAST-WALKING HORSES. V. WHAT A HORSE SHOULD BE. VI. WHAT CONSTITUTES UNSOUNDNESS. VII. ILLUSTRATIO.N OP FORM AND SYMMETRY. VIII. THE BODY AND LIMBS. IX. THE BODY AS STANDING FACING VOU. X. FRONT VIEW OF FORE-QUAR- TERS, SHOWING DIFFERENT BAD CONFORMATIONS. XI. THE HIND-(JUARTER8. XII. THE VIEW FROM BEHIND.^— XIII. WHAT NOT TO JJUY.^— XIV. BUYING FOR BLOOD. SV. SUMMING Ul'. I. Buying Cheap Horses. In the prccodiiiiT clKiptcr on tliis important sulijcct we have endeavored to show .sonic of the princii)al point.s to he considered in huyinj.!; a iiorse, especially those relating to tlie use for which they are intended. Tlierc; is one rule that will always apjjly in buying any horse. Never hu\- hiiii because he is offered at a price evidently far below his worth, tlial is, except it be from a friend that you can trust, who does not want the horse himself, and wishes to do you a favor. These cases will be found ver}' rare. In every other case rest assured the horse has some danger- ous vice, or is permanently unsound. In this country never buy a horse at any price which has any appearaiu-e of liroken knees by falling. Hunting horses are too rare here for one to have gotten the luiit in the field, and, accidentally, liy being i)ut at a l)arrier beyond his i)ower. Reject a lior.se with any weakness in his eyesight, unless you have use for a blind horse, then buy him at a blind horse's price. A one-eyed horse may do useful, but not elegant work. Never buy a lame horse at any price, until you arc assured that the disability is not permanent. Foot lameness, except it may be from a slight corn, and consequently l.')4 n.i.rsTUATKi) stock doctok. (•iir!il)l(\ slioiild 1)0 an iiusuponihlo bar to puri'liasc. You ciin never patch up a had foot. 'I'lioroforc be sure you always try the intended jiurchase on a liard road. Many pune horses, d(>ad lanie on liard roads, will get aloui; \\ it limit nnirii tlin('iiiii<>; on soft iiKids, or tlic tui-f. If \()u are eertaiii as to the eause of tiie lameness and know you ean oure it, the purciiase, as a speculation, may do; but never rely on the assurance of tiie horse dealer. It is his l)usiness to sell. >s'ever buy a iiairow ciicsted horse for hard service. It shows wt-ak lungs and those liable to intlammation. If for saddle, avoid a very broad ehesti>d liorse, though as trotters they are sometimes fast. The best and most perfect ciicst is a medium between the narrow and broad chest. A lucked up washy looking horse should l>e avoided. They may indeed do for ligiit W(M-k or sliort drives, but are totally unlit for real work. In buying a\did all defects in tiic wind; l)e sure the disability has not l)i'cn tem|)orarily covered up, by special means known to horse dealers. .\ wliisllcr or roarer may show no indication of his intirmity at a slow pace, or u[) to a certain sjieed. Beyond that it is apparent. Broken wind is :in incurable infirmity and probably as distressing to the horse as the asthma is to man. A horse may nuike more or less noise and yet not have broken wind. .\iiy indication of this, however, is to be looked on with suspicion. In buying a horse his points of excellence and infirmity are better shown if only in fair working condition than when very fat. A horse very fat is pretty nearly a useless creature until his condition has been brought down to that of bone, sinew and muscle, with just sufficient fat to lubricate, so to speak, the working jjarts. Yet a horse for slow draft lu.iN lie serviceable ;ind carry far more Hesh and fat than one used for fast work. Many superior horses have been ruinctl by haid tlriving when fat. or soft. II. Color in Relation to Value. It is a saying as trite as it is old that any color is good in a good horse. "\'ct a horse, however good otiierwise, should be invariably rejected if his color is bad. For instance, it would essentially nuirk both an ignorant and vulgar person who would select a piebald, spotted, or otherwise extraordinary color for a carriage horse. It would savor of the circus or show ring. As saddle horses ft)r gentlemen, self-colors are the best, and those dis- tinct. A star in the forehead and two white feet behind give character. A snip in the face, if large, is objectionable. Four white stockings more so. Bay, brown and dark chestimt are the preferable colors. If the Tiiio iioitsK, now TO luv. 155 horse is cxcopti()niil)Iy stylish, Muck and (lai)])lo f^ray arc good colors. Gray liorses arc often l)ail Icnipta-cd, and tilack horses arc not as a i-iil(^ docih'. For hidies' use a dark cream color with white nianc^ and tail, oi- that rai'c comhination, a dai'k chestnut with darker tail and inan(^ an^ (ele- gant if of j^ood form. So a strawl)crry roan, if unexceptionahle in style and form, is elegant. For single or double light driving, all distinct colors arc good. Uneven or curiously marked horses are allowable in a fancy team — as a mismatch in distinct colors — as it is (■allei, Jilood spavin or hone spavin, when sutKciently developed to be known. 2. — Ossification of any of the structures adjacent to any of the joints and also witliout doubt ossification of the lateral cartilages. 3. — Corns are considered as constituting unsoundness, but they must be discovered witliin a short time, say a few days of the purchase. 4. — Ciirlis constitute unsoundness, but they nmst be shown to exist at the time of the sale. ."). — Founder or Laininitis, is unsoundness wlietlier it produces lame- ness or not, for if it has existed the laniin;v will iiave been injured and the horse will be lame wlien worked. 6. — Piunici'd Foot is misoundness as evidence of laminitis. 7. — Qnittor may render the horse permanently unsomul. . — Grease and Mange. THK HOrtSE, HOW TO BUY. l.')9 17. — Cough, if it lasts. A Iiorse witii a chronic coujjjh is clearly unsound. 18. — Mvijt'ions, if it can !>!■ sliown that the horse has iiail an attack before the sale. 19. — Ophlltulmia, it it occurs soon after the purchase. 'I'he evidence of a veterinary surgeon may he necessary to show the previous presence of the disease. 20. — C/ifrirnc/, however slight, constitutes a hoise iinsoun .. 21. — liiokrii knees, when the joint is injureil. Tiiere are also vices for wiiicii a lioi'sc may be returned. These arc: 1. — Bit! IK/, wlu'u clearly vicious. 2. — BolliiKi, or I'unniiig away. 3. — (Jvih-hiliiitj. 4. — KirkiiKj, wiien shown to he \ieious. ."). — Bdlkiti'i. (j. — lieariiiij. 7. — Slii/li((i, when hahitual. 8. — Weavimj In the utahle ; that is, the horse llii-owi.ig his lu'ad and body from side to side with a peculiar motion. Definition of UnsouDdness and Vice. Unsoundness may ho considered to lie the existence of disease or alter- ation of structure sufficient to impair the natural usefulness of the horse. Vice may he defined as the prevalence of a habit which interferes with the natural usefulness of the horse. In imsoundness or vice, however, either must be marked, as for instance the following diseases or accidents would not constitute unsoundness : 1 — SUgJit bog spavin; 2 — broken knee, wlien the joint is not injured; 3 — capped horks, or elbows; 4 — contractions q/" ^Ae/bo^, unless the re- sult of disease, laming the horse ; ,'J — curby hocks; 6 — splints; 7 — thor- ough pin, and 8 — thrush, are not unsoundness in their incipient stage, or in a mild way. But the buyer should refuse all such except, perhaps, in the ease of thrush. ,9 — (Jutting is not unsoundness, except the horse be lame at the time of sale, neither JO — soreness of the joints from lat)or, or 11, loindgalls. They are found often upon colts, but if tlu' animal be lame reject him. When a horse is bought on warrantee, it must be written and conciselv so. Do not allow verbiage to cause litigation. TIic following form will cover the whole ground : Received (insert place and date) of Mr (insert name) Dollars, K50 ILLUSTKATKI) STIX'K DOCTOR. fur (describe liorso or mare, and pedigree of same, if any) warranted years old (state agje) sounds free from vice ^ and 'juiet to ride or drive. When lilK'il out tliis initi'lit rciul as follows: Receioed, St. Louis, Mo., March 1st, 18S0, of Mr. John Doe, five hundred dollars for a bay mare by Lancer, dam Lady, warranted five years old and under six years, sound, free from vice., mid i/'iief to ridi: ov drive. niciiAKD ItoK. Tills witii sut^li careful exainiiuition as ^^o have advised ouiiht to insure an\ liuyer against danger in ease the seller is solvent. VII. Illustrations of Form and Symmetry. The head of the iiorse is the seat of intelligence, and to the conforma- tion of the head we must look not only for intelligence but docility :nid courage, or the opposite character, as we must look to the teeth for indi- cations of his age, to the nosti'ils as indicating his capacity for breathing, to the nui/./.lc and jaw for indications of capacity and feeding, and to the eye and car as sliowing tire, courage, and good temjier. Speed and bottom, which means the bone and nnisclc of good breeding whatever the family of the horse may be, is the sine qua non desired in a horse. His mission is labor, work of some kind, whether it be carrying :i man on his back, or trotting to a wagon, or hauling a load through the mud. 'I'he head of the horse is, therefore, one of the iirst thin<>s to be looked at. The extract we have given a few pages back, from one of the most eminent writers of this country on the horse, will convey an idea of what a riding or driving horse should be. The neai'er the horse for genci'al utility, comes to the illustrations we give, the better he Avill be. The horse for heavy draft while being coarser, more stocky and heavier in his frame should conform to the general characteristics except that he should be more upright as to his shoulders, and not so flcxil)le as to his liml)s : then the better will he be. In fact one of the best draft horses we ever owned was a three parts l)red ^Monmouth Eclipse, seventeen hands high, weighing 12r)0 lbs., pretty well up on legs, and those of exceeding flexibility. But when he got down to work he appeared to go close to the gi'onnd. This getting down to work — this getting close to the ground with the body, so every bone and sinew may exert the greatest possible leverage, is one of the tine arts of training. It really brings the oblique shoulder of the l)lood horse straight in the collar a possibility few horses have the knack of attaining naturall}'. THK IIOKSK, HOW TO IJUY. Hil Explanation. — The illustriitions we give on page 1(52 show ii side and fidiit view of licads of Mooded liorses, that may l)e taken as a tyiH' of what should constitute as near perfection as may he. Tiiose on page IC.'J, side and front views of heads are had. By comparing tliem witii the text the reader may form a good idea of charaett^ristit's. Ohserve in tlie sidc^ view, page 1(12, a tine liead, tapering to muzzle, the chin, the [jroininent and vet hriglit, clear and soft eye, with a rather prominent brow; the shape and setting on of tiie ears ; the strength of jaw, and at the same time its fineness; iiow tlie liead is set on to tiie ne(k, and llic tine, clean, muscular neck as well. In the front view observe especially the width between the eyes, tlw. eyes being in fact apparently at the side of the h(!ad, and yet looking straight forward. Observe the cheek boms, widening and strengthening the lower part of the head ; the temporal bones at the side; of tlie eye ; and tlu^ occipital bone at the top of the head between the ears. Especially observe the nostrils and li|i-- as to flexibilit}' and siz('. Turn l)ack the folds at the end of the nostril, and it will be found you can look clear into t\u\ jiassage, showing a moist and hcaltiiy surface, or the reverse. Lotus now examine the side and front views of head on p;igc ]li.'5. Tho'side view at the lop shows a head somewhat heav\ in chnr.iclcr, the nose and lower jaw thick to excess. Observe the peculiar formation of the nose. It is not the; dish face of the first illustration, giving temi)er, accompanied with intelligent obedience. The eyebi-ows are prominent, the head l)road, but the expression indicates not onlv tire but malice. The muzzle is that of a cruel horse, the intelligence that of self-will. The ears, although of good shape and breeding, are thrown back, and the head is set on at too great an angle with the neck. The figure to the left shows the front view of a badly formed head. It will be noticed that it is of nearly the same width throughout. The eyes are placed very different from those of the front view of good head on page 1()2 ; too close together, and too nmch in front. The expression of the eye shows a stubborn disposition ; the ears are good enough, but not held in that position of intelligent action as shown in the lower figure on page 1(!2. 'I'hev are pointed too close together. The figure of the front ])art of a head to the right, on page ]*'>'.'>, shows a head not badh' formed, but the general ex|)ression of the face shows doltishness, and the drooping ears, and tire expression of the eves show not only a cruel but a stupid disi)osition. The lower side \iew of head and neck on same ))age shows a head indi- cating a horse that will not only be wild sometimes, but snlk\- ; a self willed, obstinate brute, deficient in intelligence. The profile is curved, giving a Koman nose ; the eyebrows are raised, giving the eye a wild 162 •LLUSTRATF.U STOCK DOCTOR. iSD FRONT VIEW OF HEADS— GOOD {See Explanation). THE irORSE, HOW TO BUY. 163 SIDE AND FROVT VIEW OF HEADS— BAD. (See Explanation). Kit 11.1,1 IS rUATKl) .STOC'K DOCTOR. expression, aiiii with (he liiiii jaw, a stuhhorii ciiaractor. Kollowiiif!^ the siii)jeel slill I'arlher, we iiiav linil all liie , we pres(>nt side views, siiowing good and bad fore-quarters. The THK lIOItSK, HOW TO HUY. 165 first illustration shows as iieiir perfection as may be in the shoulder for siaunch (jualitios, good action and a fast walk. The nock muscular, l)ut without superfluous flesh, hut with plenty of substance where it joins the shoulder; the shoulder oi)lique and deep; the shoulder-blade high, help- ing to give stability to the withers : the breast prominent, but tapering down to whore the legs come out of th«^ body ; the arm long, muscular, and yet tapering ; the joints large, but yet firm and compact ; the fet- locks of fair length and yet flexil)le ; and the hoofs of good size, round, of good depth, tough and sound. An animal possessing the confornuition as shown, will indicate a horse good for any purpose where speed and long continued jjowers of endurance arc required. While the illus- trations we give are i)crfect of their kind, and more valuable than any written description alo^(^ can I)c, yet the living animal nnist be studied, not only at rest, liut in luoliuu. TIk^ harness horses, however, need not have so oblique a slioulilcr as we li;i\t! shown. Tn fact, few horses, even of the best class, do. So the trotting gait, conil)iniiig speed with liigii action and grand style might be considered vile in a saddh; horse. In fact, the saddle horse should ha\(' a springy yet smooth motion, and except for show on iho road, this will l)e found to be best for fast and easy work in harness. In practice much of tliis is often sacrificed, in pleasure horses, for the sake of mere style. The breeding of such horses is a fine art, often a co.stly one ; yet those which fail in the style and action necessary to command the highest price as road and saddle horses, will be found to anqjly repay the breeding for tile general purposes of Die farm and for file road. Explanation. — 'bi i)age KW! arc illustrations showing, the upper one, to file left, a sfraiglit shoulder, a lii'avy chest, and legs placed too far under. Tiie arm seems longer fhiiii if is because it lacks muscularity; the shanks, while not positively weak, do not show due strength near the knee and jiasterns, and are not as sti'ong as they should be. The ui)i)er figure, to the right, shows a shoulder as bad as the prece- ding one, and also weak legs and pasterns, the length from hoof to joint above being too great. The left hand figure lit bottom of same page, shows a shoulder fairly well placed, but with the legs set too much under, and the jiasterns too straight. Such a conforniatioii will give the horse the appearance of standing on flie toes. The lowei- figure to the right, shows what old age, hard work, abuse, or all combined, may bring any animal to, that originally may have been not only well bred, but of fair ipiality Ihioughout. Watch for such limbs in buying, and avoid them. 1(J6 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. 8IDK VKW OK KORE-gUARTERS, SHOWINC. „.o CONKORMAT.ON. (&« E.planaHon). THE IIOHSK, HOW TO HUV. 167 FRONT VIEW, SHowiNU liuiAST VXD LiMiss— c.ooD. (See Explanation). 168 II,I,rSTI!ATEl) STCJCK DOCTOR. IX. The Body as Standing Facing You. The body of the horse viewed in front should present an oval shape, squared off from the arm or elbow joint in front to the point of the shoulder as on page Ui7. The perfeet eontour of breast, and especially the magnitieent museularity of the arm is near perfection. The neck rising grandly from the chest shows the perfect proportion of the parts each to the other ; the knee and fetlock joints ai-e strong and compact, gradually rounded to meet the shank or leg and bones of the pastern joint. The hoofs are staunch, tough, strong, with nothing about Ihcm to denote a flat foot, yet they will be found rather open behind, showing a perfeet hoof. Let us now examine the blood horse of the present day as quoted from Herbert, and also that of the ancient Greeks as written upon by Xenophon. It will show that in those days the breeding of horses was a fine art, as was also e((ucstrianism as exhibited in the excjuisitc sculptures that have come down to us. Yet the quotation we Uiake will show that the horse of the Greeks, useful and admirable as he was, was what tiie English would call a cab or Galloway, with a dash of thorough blood, and what •we would call pony built with a dash of thorough blood — something in fact like a chunky Morgan horse. The (juotation nevertheless will make a good study for the young horseman, and is as follows: "Wo will write how one may be the least deceived in the purchase of jiorses. It is evident then that of the unbroken colt one must judge hy the construction, since, if he have never been backed lie will afford no very clear evidences of his spirit. Of his body then, we say it is necessary first to examine the feet, for as in a house it matters not how fine may be the superstructure if there be not suttii-ient foundations, so in a war horse there is no utility, no, not if he have all other points perfect but be badly footed. But in examining the feet, it is befitting first to look to tiie horny portion of the hoofs, for those horses which have the horn thick are far superior in their feet to those which have it thin. Nor will it bo well if one fail next to observe whether the hoofs bo upright, both before and behind, or low and flat to the ground ; for high hoofs kee[) the frog at a distance from the earth, while the flat tread with equal pressure on the soft and hard parts of the foot, as is the case with bandy- legged men. And Simon justly observes that well footed horses can be known by their tramp, for the hollow hoof rings like a cymbal when it strikes the solid earth. But having begun from below, let us ascend to the other parts of tiie body. It is needful, then, that the parts above the hoofs and below the fetlocks (pasterns) be not too erect, like those of the goat; for legs of tiiis kind being stiff and inflexible, are apt to jar the rider, and are nH)re liable to inflammation. The bones must not. THE HOUSE, HOW TO BUV. 169 however, he too low :iiid .springy, for in that case the fetlocks are liable to l)c uhnided and wounded if the horse he galloped over clods or stones. The hones of the shank (cannon bones) should he thick, for these are the columns which support the body ; but they should not have the veins and fiesh (hick likewise. For if they have when the horse shall be galloped over difficult ground the}' will necessarily he tilled with blood, and will become varicose, so that the shanks will he thickened, and the skin he distended and relaxed from the bone ; and, when this is the case it often follows that the back sinew gives way and renders the horse lame, liut if the horse when in action bends his knees flexibly at a walk you may judge that he will have his legs flexible when in full career ; for all horses as they increase in 3'ears increase in the flexibility of the knee. And flexible goers arc esteemed highly, and with justice, for such horses are much less liable to l)lunder or stumble than those which have rigid, unbending joints. But if the arms, below the shoulder-blades, be thick and muscular they appear stronger and handsomer, as is the case also with a man. The breast also should be broad, as well for beauty as strength, and i)ecause it causes a handsomer action of the fore-legs, which do not then interfere but arc carried well apart. "Again, the neck ought not to be set on like that of a boar, horizontally from the chest ; but, like that of a game cock, siiould l)e uprigiit toward the chest, and slack toward the flexure ; and the head being long should have a small and narrow j.iw hone, so tiiat Ihc neck shall he in front t)f the rider, and that the i^ye siiall look down at what is before the feet. A horse thus made will be the least likely to run violently awaj', even if he be very high s])irited, for horses do not attempt to i-ini awav b^- bringing in but by throwing out their heads and necks. II is also \cr^- necessary to observe whether the mouth be tine and hard on both sides, or on one or the other. For horses wliii-h have not l)oth jaws eiiually sensitive, are likely to be too hard mouthed on one side or the other. And it is better that a horse should have prominent than hollow eyes, for such an one will see to a greater distance. And M'idely opened nostrils are far better for respiration than narrow, and they give the horse a fiercer aspect ; for when one stallion is enraged again.st another, or if he l)econie angry while being ridden, he expands his nostrils to their full width. And the loftier the ci'est, and the smaller the ears the more horse-like anil handsome is the head rendered ; while loftv withers give the rider a surer seat, and produce a firmer adhesion between the body and shoulders. 'A double loin is also softer to sit upon and jileasanter to look upon than if it be single; and a deep side, rounded toward the belly, renders the horse easier to sit, and stronger and more ea.sy to keep in condition ; and the shorter and broader the loin, the more easily will the horse raise 170 ILIAISTKATKl) STOCK UOCTOK. liis r()i-c-i|iKirlfrs niid collect his liiii(l-(|uartci's under liiiii in jioinij;. These points, moreover, cause the helly to ai)i)ear tiie smaller; whicii if it be lariic at once injures the a[)i)earaiiee of the animal and renders him weaker and less inanageahle. The quai'tors should he broad and fleshy in order to correspond with the sides and chest, and, should they lie entirely firm and solid they would be the lighter in the gallop, and the horse would be the sjjeedier. Rut if he should have his buttocks separated under the tail li\ a liruad line, with a wider space between them, and so doing he will have a [iroudcr and stronger gait and action, and will in all respects be the bett»'r on them. A proof of which is to be had in men, who, when they desire to raise any thing from the ground attempt it by straddling tlunr legs not liy Iiringing them close together. ' X. Front View of Fore-quarters, Showing Difterent Bad Conformations. Explanation- — <^n page 171 tlu' upper left hand figure shows the legs fair lo the knee, hut from thence down, bad, and with toes turned very much out. The next tigure on the left, is very bad, the knees turned out and the toes turned in ; a dangerous hors(>, and untit for driving or riding. The lower tigure to the left is as unsightly as possible ; the legs spready, weak, straddling, and with the toes turned out. Such a horse may be tolcrablv sure-footed, if carefully uianaged, and not hard-driven, but one ncNcr u> be depended uixni. The next tigure at right of bottom, is bad all over, weak-liinl)ed, knock- kneed and sjilav-footed. A horse never to be depended upon and un- serviceable in the extrcnu'. Between these there are many gradations, which those who study these pages may profit by examining and comparing with the front view of a perfect shape given on i)age l(i7, and which carried fully in mind will go a great way in enabling one to form a pretty iiccuriite ojiinion iu buy- ing a horse. XI. The Hind-quarters. Tt has been said that the for(>-([uarters of a horso are simply to hold him up, while the hind-quarters projud the machine. This in a sense is true, l)ul a horse, however good his hind-quarters be, must not only have the fore limbs good enough to hold him up, but to keep him out of the way of the hind feet, and at the same time assist in i)ropeUing the body. In fact, the whole aninuil should be composed of parts working harmoni- ouslv toii-ether, each assisting the other wlule doing its own work; ■I'lIE HOKSK, HOW TO BUY. 171 FRONT VIEW OF FORB-CIUARTERS, 8IIOWINO DIFrBRENT BAD CONFORMATIONS. 172 ILLl'STUATKU STOCK IJCXTOK. lU'Vorllii-loss tliu liiiHl-(|uarti'rs ;ur tlio i)r()i)clliiiji- [)()wer, especially when under the jiullop. Fov then the motion is eoinmunieiited by a Miecession of leaps, acting more in the nature of a balance than in walking or in OOOl> HiNiviji'AUTEKS. {See Erplanaiioii.) trottiuir. In order that tlie liiii(l-(iuarters may do tiicir work offeetively, there must l)e a stroni;- loin, ample and muscular (luariers, yreat length THK UOKSE, HOW TO HUY. 1 TH of hip, strong, donso hones, siiu'W.s like whii)-cord, strong joints and Hat and wide legs. In order to deterniine this the purchaser siiould observe first, looking at him from the side, whether he stands resting perpendicularly on every leg alike. The legs should not be straddled outside of their true position, neither should they be gathered together, or in horse-men "s phrase, as though he were trying to stand in a half bushel. He should stand straight, s((uare, and distinctly on every leg. If he stands with the hind legs be- hind tiieir true position, induce him to move his fore legs forward, to find if such a pf>sition gives him ease. Examine him as before statt^d for splints, damaged back sinews, ring-bones or side-bones in the fore limbs ; and in the hinder ones for l)onc blood or bog spavins, curbs or thorough pin, as previously described. If he stands as in the figure given on page 172, and if he is free from blemish, one may go a long way to lind a better. E.\amine especially whether the pasterns, outline of the hock joints, are nearly perpendicular or angular, or whether they present a convex curvilinear protuberance just above the union of the shank l)one. If not there will be littl(! danger of curb, or a tendeiKy to throw tiiein out. if the hiTcks are drawn in the horse will api)ear cow -hocked, a malformation as serious as it is ungaiidy, for thus the animal will be weak. If tlie hind-logs are wide apart and the horse straddles in going forward, while it ma}' not weaken his stride it is not elegant. However true it be that some fast and strong trotters straddle — as going wide is termed — tiiis shoukl be avoided. The illustration on p;ige 172 will show accurately good liind-cpiarters, as those on page 174 will show bad ones. On page 174 the figure at the upper left side would be calbnl line and in every way good to the inc.vperienced l)uyer. The buttocks ar(> round l)ut lack character, and the legs are too straight and far behind. The figure to the right is bad in every respect — goose-rumped, eat- hammed, with the legs thrown far back to equalize the strain ; the ankles also weak. The figure to the lower left on same page shows a fair (piarter, l)ut the legs are thrown too far forward, and the animal stands too straight on the pasterns. The figure to the right is really not badly formed as to the (piarter, but the position is cramped and bent, and the limbs badly placed. XII. The View fVom Behind. The view of the horse as seen from behind should show good square quarters, full and perfectly shaped yracilis, as those muscles are called 174 ILLUSTUATED STOCK DOCTOR. IDK VIEW OF HIND QUABTEBS-BAD. (S« Explanation). THE IIOKSE, HOW TO BITY. 175 wliich fjive the peculiar swelling shape to the inside of tliijjh. These should be egg-shaped, oi' rather -should swell fi-om nearly a point lielow and then gradually decrease in size till lost to view near the runij) bone. BACK VIEW OF HIND IJl'AUTERS— GOOD. (Scc Ej-planaiion). The outside muscle of the tibia, or great Ijone of the leg above the knee, cannot well be too large. The tendons connecting with the hocks 170 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. HACK VIEW OF HIND-QUARTERS — BAD. (See Explanation). THE HORSE, HOW TO BUY. 177 should be strong and well presented to view. The hocks large, firm, strong and well knit, but smooth and free from blemish, as should be the fetlock joints. If the horse is flat-footed he has a weak hoof, which should never go with a strong muscular horse. When the animal moves forward, observe that the feet arc lifted squarely, carried straight forward, without turning or straddling. If so, and the conformation is as presented in the rear view of the horse on page 175, then if you have attended minutely to the other directions, and the movement is satisfactory, you need not fear to buy the horse. He will not fail you in time of need. As showing defects, in various gradations and malformation in the hind-quarters, we refer the reader to the figures on page 176, a study of which will enable the observer to steer clear of splay-footed, pigeon-toed, bow-legged or cow-hockcd brutes. XIII. What Not to Buy. Never buy a horse unbroken or half broken, unless you are thoroughly competent to train him, or else have some one to do so on whom you can depend. Never buy a horse overloaded with fat, expecting him to remtiin so under work. The first thing to be done with such a horse is to get him rid of the superfluous fat and water. This takes time and takes money. Besides a'ou never can know the real defects of a horse "very fat." An ox or a hog perfectly fattened, is pleasing to the eye. They are intended for succulent joints and steaks, or for hams, bacon, or pickled pork. A fat horse, except Ijefore the close coach of some wealthy and aged spinster or widow, is woefull}' out of place. Never buy a horse because he is big, unless you want him for slow and heavy draft. Light horses are for light driving. A horse weighing eleven hundred is heavy enough for ordinary driving, and generallv bet- ter than a heavier one. A pair of horses weighing twenty-four hundred pounds is good enough for any ordinary work that comes, and hcaw enough for any cit}' teaming, except when wanted as show horses before some In'ewer's wagon, or as horses of slow draft on heavy trucks. Don't buy a cheap horse, expecting perfection. The two never yet went together. Perfect horses are not so plenty. Indeed thev are so scarce as to be entirely beyond the means of any except the very wealthy. They are seldom seen even among this class. In fact perfection lies onlv in degree. A horse may be measurably perfect for our purpose, and yet quite defective for others. Therefore buy a horse for what you want, and expect to pay the honest price for what you get. Again, unless you 178 ILLUSTUATEIJ STOCK DOCTOR. iiro a judge, buy of souio doiilor who has a roputation to lose, and the incaus to bacU u[) any guarantee he may make. XIV. Buying for Blood. In liuynig for fast work, buy bk)od every time, wliether the work de- sired is to be trotting to the wagon or carrying tiie owner under the sa(Ulie. In buying l)h)od, as a breeder, whether stallion or mare, never fool awa}' any money on a half or three-ijuarters bred sire, expcetiug to get high caste horses. With a stauneh thorough-bred of trotting action, you may successfully bi-eed good trotters and w-orkers on mares of cold blood, if they be of good size and form and are roomy. But for racing do not expect a cold-blooded mare to bring a very fast one, however good the size, excei)t it may be l)y chance, and a rare chance at that. In breeding for any purpose select the best of the class. Staunch thorough-breds for fast work ; handsome thorough-breds for show horses. For draft select from families that have been bred for generations for this woi"k. Above all do not buy horses and mares that happen to strike your fancy, expecting to start a new breed. Life would be all too short. It would bo far more sensible to begin where the last mau left off. XV. Summing Up. From the foregoing the reader may arrive at pretty corrcot ideas as to what a horse really should be if he carefully study aiul nuxke himself familiar with horses by (.'xamining the living subjects, and comparing with what \\ e have written and illustrated. As a rule neither the farmer nor the breeder is thoroughly grounded in what constitutes excellence in the horse, and especially are they dcticient as to wiiat constitutes soundness and unsoundness. In the same numner are they ignorant as to what will naturally give speed and endurance in an aninuil. It is true there are exceptions, but they are compai'atively rare. Yet, supposing they know all about it they will often pronounce a horse sound, or well broken to sadtlle and harness when he is manifestly neither one nor the other. Therefore the intending buyer, if he be not himself fully informed from actual experience, must not suppose that either of these classes necessarily know the real merits or defects of an animal. It has caused endless litigations in our courts, and will cause many more until those who breed take the pains to fully ground themselves in this, among the most important branches of the professional breeder. To become a perfect judge of a horse, from what one naturally learns from his own observation, unless he study carefully, may truly be called THE IIOKSE, HOW TO BUY. 179 an impossibility. As a means of educating, boolvs are written. If the experience of expert.s and (juotation.s from the best and latest autliorities, given in this worii, shall induce a more careful study 1)V those into whose hands the book may pass, it will, on the one hand go far to rid the trade of mere jockeys and horse "dopers," who daily palm off the most worthless brutes by a glib use of a centrally-hinged tongue. It will do more. It will disseminate a more perfect knowUnlge of what a horse should be among farmers who seek to breed one, two or three colts a year, by showing not only the necessity of good blood, whatever the style of the horse they intend to breed, but it is hoped also that it may lead to a higher apprecnation of that noblest and best of the four-footed servants of mau, a well bred borBC. PART II. - Diseases of the Horse; THEIK CAUSES, HOW TO PRE^^ENT, HOW TO KKOW AWD HOW TO CURE. Diseases of the Horse. THEIR CAUSES; HOW TO KNOW, AND HOW TO CURE THEM. CHAPTER I. I. INTRODUCTION. II. EXTERNAL MANIFESTATION OF DISEASE. I. Introduction. The Vfirious diseases to which the horse is su>)ject, embrace nearly all those atHictiug the human family, and including among them, as most common, diseases of the skin and its integuments, those of the muscles, of the ligaments, and of the bones, quite rai'e in the human family, and to which the horse might be completely exempt, were it not for the igno- rance, and in very many cases the brutality of the master in over-driving, over-weighting, leaping, beating, neglect in clothing when heated, care- lessness in grooming, want of proper ventilation in stables, and the withholding of proper and sufficient food. Take away these causes of disease and the labors of the veterinary surgeon would be light. We should see but little of caries of the bones, causing degeneration of the substance ; of spa^^n, curb, ringbone, splint ; of injuries to the sinews and tendons, causing breaking down ; swellings and other of the most serious afHictions ; poll e\'i\ and other fistulous diseases ; of fractures ; of rheumatism ; founder, including grease, inflamed glands and veins, cracks of the hoofs, quittor, hei'uia, and all that class of diseases attacking the faithful servant of man, and henceforth rendering him useless for the purposes of pleasure or profitalile labor. Instead of ending the sufferings of the tortured animal by mercifully taking its life, many owners for the sake of the few paltry dollars received, transfer the once favorite steed 184 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. to some one else equally inhuman, who thenceforth drives and goads the sufferer to labor under the most torturing circumstances, until the animal economy, entirely disorganized, perhaps by years of such unmitigated torture, drops and dies. The object of this treatise is to so enlighten the horse owner in the nature of disease as to enable him to determine whether treatment can be made effective — if so, what to do; and especially is it the purpose to so acquaint him with the causes, that occasion for treatment may be averted. By a study of the facts we give it maybe easily known whether cure is possible, and if not it is more merciful to kill and end the misery of the poor animal. EXTERKAL MANIPKSTATIONS OP SOME DISEASES OF THE HORSE. II. External Manifestation of Disease. For all the diseases we have mentioned l)Ut little medicine is needed. Kest and nursing arc most needed — often months of rest and care, as in the case of spavin, connncMicing in inflammation and ending in the depo- sition of bony matter, stiffening of the joint, or, as in the case of exostosis of the heads of the bones, they in time become quite anchylosed, THE HORSE, ITS DISEASES. 185 when lameness ceases from the suspension of action of the joints caused by their complete solidification or growing together. That the reader may form a more correct idea of what we here write, and have it brought plainly to view, we present an illustration of some of the principal diseases of the bones and tissues, caused generally by abuse, with a short description of their origin. The treatment will be given in the proper place. A — Caries of the Jaw. Ulceration of the lower jaw, sometimes ends in mortification. Caused by bruises from barbarous bits and curb chains. £ — Fistula of the Parotid Duct. Fistulas are caused by bruises or undue compression of the parts producing inflammatiou and abscess. C — Bony Excrescence. (Exostosis of the jaw). A blow upon a bone will produce inflammation followed by exostosis (bony growth thx'ough increased nutrition) — that of the joints being fearfully painful. D — Swelling by pressure of the bridle, causing inflammation, and sometimes tumors. U — Poll Evil. A painful fistulous disease, often difficult to cure. P — Inflamed Parotid Gland. Caused by a bruise or compression. G — Inflamed Jugular Vein, caused in various ways, often by careless- ness lifter bleeding. H — Fungus Tumor, from compression of the collar. The result of galls and subsequent want of care, and inattention. / — Fistula of tlie Withers, caused generally by pressure of the saddle. J — Saddle Gall, caused by a bad fitting saddle ; sometimes ending in sitfasts. K — Twwio/'o/VZie^/iow. caused generally by interference of the shoe in lying down ; sometimes by a blow. L — Induration of tlie Knee, caused by blows in falling. M — Clap of the Back Si7iews, caused by severe exertion in running and leaping, destroying the integrity of the sinews of the leg. JV — Mcdlenders, scurfy manifestations at flexions of the knee, sometimes becoming cracked and itchy. O — Splint, caused by blows, kicks, etc., on the shins. They are to be dreaded as interfering with the action of the sinews. P — Ringbone, caused by starting heavy loads, or excessive pulling in going up hill. Q — Tread upon tlie Coronet, the contusion of the shoe of one foot by treading on the other, causing laceration of the coronet and of the born of the hoof. R — Quittor, confined pus, from prick of the sole, corns, or injury to coronet. IbG ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. aS — Quarter Sand Crack. Imperfect secretion caused by dryness of the hoof ; rupture of the laminie. T — Contracted Hoof, or ringed hoof of a foundered horse. The result of Laminatis. U — Capped Hock. Injuring the point of the hock. V — Sallenders. Scurfy eruptions on the seat of flexion of the hock. Similar to inallenders. W — Spavin. Inflammation causing painful bony enlargement, some- times stiff joint. Caused by blows, slipping and hard work, often from weak limbs. X — Curb. Inflammation and lameness of the posterior part of the hock, ending in bony formation. Caused by wrenching or straining the limb. Y — Swelled Sinetcs, caused by strains or bruises, producing inflamma- tion, and ending in enlargement. Z — Thick Leg, caused by various injuries to the joint. Any inflamma- tion may result in a thickening of the integuments. In all inflammatory difliculties of this nature, including, spavin, curb, etc., cold water faithfully applied at the outset will be indicated, but often the trouble is not known until too late for cold water. The warm water fomentations will then be indicated. [See treatment]. 1 — Grease, caused by debility, excessive labor and neglect, filthy sur- roundings, from stoppage of the secretions. Scratches are from the same cause, as working in the mud without proper cleaning, etc. 2 — Toe Sand Crack, caused by the same diiBculty as quarter sand crack. 3 — Quarter Crack. [See sand crack]. These are occasioned generally l)y severe labor of animals not strong in the feet, by which the walls are ruptured, Ijy breaking the hoof with the calk of another foot. False quarter is occasioned bv the absence of the outside and harder portion of the hoof. 4 — Ventral Hernia. Rupture by which the bowel lies next the skin. When hernia is accompanied with strangulation it becomes dangerous. 5 — Rat Tail, loss of the hair of the tail. Fuller facts as to causes and treatment of these disorders will be found in the appropriate place in this work, CHAPTER II. DISEASES OP THE SKIN AND SUB-CUTANEOUS TISSUES. I. SCRATCHES. II. GREASE. III. THRUSH. IV. SWELLED \NKLES. V. SWELLED LEGS. VI. SURFEIT. VH. MAN6E. VIII. RING-WORM. IX. HIDEBOUND. X. SADDLE GALLS, OR SITFASTS. XI. FUNGOUS COLLAR TUMOR. XII. WARTS. XIII. VERMIN. XIV. LARVA IN THE SKIN. XV. TETTER. XVI. RAT-TAILS. XVII. MALLENDERS AND SALLENDERS. XVIII. POLL EVIL. XIX. FISTULA. Of skill diseases there are two classes : those resulting from neglect and general bad treatment, and those due to disorders of the internal organs with which the skin is in sympathy, or which inflame it hy unnat- ural excretions or irritants in the blood. It is almost impossible perfectly to classify them, since even some that are generally considered to arise from constitutional causes may be produced l)v external circumstances, and the reverse. In the following sections we treat the most important of l)oth classes. Others of less moment will be found in our chapter entitled " iliscella- neous Matters and Suggestions, ^Slinor Disorders, etc." I. Scratches. Causes. — These are various ; as, clipping the heels, which is sometimes done, and thus destroying nature's covering, so as to allow the parts to become chilled ; washing off the legs with soap and water without subse- quently thoroughly drying them, and then suffering them to be exposed to cold air ; standing in snow or snow-i5lu.sh ; standing in or upon hot and steaming manure of any kind, while in stable ; or being long in mud and filth while in service and not .subsequently carefully cleaned. AnAtliing that will produce inflammation of the skin of the heel, or in any way weaken it, may produce scratches. As is the case with other local disorders, this is mcst ea.silv and rapidly 13 18S 1I.LIISTKATEU STOCK DOCTOK. devoloped when the horse is not in a eondition of good general healtli ; hut foul sta))les, while furnishing the irritating filth immediately to the seat of this disease vitiate the air also, and thus tend to Itring about a two-fold trouble. It is believed to be sometimes due to the existence on the skin of par- asitic plants and insects. The sure preventive is to keep the horse, if possible, in good genei-al condition ; and to coniine him, when he must be confined at all, only in a dry, clean, and well-ventilated stall. When he is forced to be worked during the day in mud or slush he should be neither stabled nor turned to pasture until feet and legs are well washed and thoroughly dried. How to know it. — Scratches ai'e said to be unknown to European horse- men ; but it is so well knoM'n in the United States as to render a descrip- tion well nigh unnecessary. It appears on the back part of the foot, generally of the hind foot ; and extends from the heel to the fetlock. It has been known entirely to encircle the foot, and to extend upward to the hock and to the knee. The parts are sometimes hot, swollen and sensi- tive before any cracking or ulceration takes jjlace ; then they become dry ', with his hind legs, (when the disease is seated in the hind heels), wider apart than ordinary, and to throw his foot rather Wolently forward when an effort is made to exam- ine it. It is often the case that at iirst there are little patches of a thick, dry, scabby covering of the skin ; and these spread and inflame until they form a solid mass of scab and matted hair. These scabs may be distinguished from those Avhich sometimes appear in other skin diseases by this, that they have an unusual itchiness, which leads the horse to rub them as much as possible ; and he often does this until they bleed and become raw. This disposition of the suffering creature to scratch liimself is said to have originated the name by which the disease is knownj. What to do. — III cases where the patient is in good condition, and the disease is in its incipient stage, a thoi'ough cleansing of the parts with castile soap and warm water, and applying an emollient or softening poultice for a day or two, wth rest, will be sufficient. If there seems to be feverishness of the system, a dose or two of Epsom salts to move the bowels, given in doses of from one to three ounces at a time, well be beneficial. The following is for ordinary cases a most efficacious and easily used remedy : THE IIOKJ^E, iSKIX 1)ISEASE8, ETC. 189 No. 1. Ji Oz. powdered gum camphor, 1 Uz. gum myrrl), 1 F'luid oz. sulphuric acid, 1 Fluid oz. spirits of turpentine, 1 Pint of lard. Mix thoroufflily, ;iud ruh the oiiitiiicut well upon the heels oiiee :i day. The legs and feet should be M'ashed with soap suds l)efore every a])j)lica- tioii. When the disease' is chronic, and jjroud tlesh has ap])carcd, make a poultice of ground Hax seed and lime-water ; sprinkle burnt alum over the poultice, and apply. Use two or three poultices a day until the proud Hesh has evidently disaijpeareil. then use the ointment No. 1 as above directed. Another course of treatment, to be adopted when there is a disordered condition of general health, and evidences of vitiated blood arc man- ifested, is this : First bleed ; but observe to regulate the (juantit}' of blood drawn by the condition of the animal as to tlesh and strength. If he is poor and weak, take from the neck vein about three pints, and after nine days a like quantity. If he is plainly in poor general health, but not reduced in flesh and still strong, bleed once, taking from the neck vein three quarts. Then make careful and thorough application of ointment No. 1. It ma}' well be stated here that in our practice we do not often resort to l)leeding, nor do M'e recommend it except in rare cases. To the nuin, however, who tinds it I)oth prolital)le and agreeable to be his own stock doctor it is often the cjuickest, easiest, and safest means of removing vitrious humors, and bringing about a more natural and healthful circula- tion. In some acute diseases of violent character, as pleurisy, mad .staggers, and the like, it is frecjuently of the first imi)ortance, sometimes almost the only hope ; but we would caution the reader against the indiscriminate blood-letting of the old |)ractitioners. Observe well the symptoms; consult this department of " The Stock Doctor " carefully ; and you M'ill not fall into the mistake of taking away gallons of blood when a little rest, some good grooming, and plenty of imtritious, life- giving food, are the things mostly reijuired. The manner of blood-letting will l)e found to have been treated'of in our cha))tcr entitled "Iniplc- ments : what to keep and how to use." The foregoing methods will answer in all ordinary cases ; but if the patient has not been taken in hand till the disease has become chronic and obstinate, the following is a most excellent jjreparation and may be used instead of No. 1. It re([uires care in the using, as it will discolor the hands and corrode the nails if it comes in contact with them, and it should never be entrusted to bungling and inconsiderate grooms ; but in lilO II.I.ISTUATKO STOCK DUCTOK. tlic liuiuls of ciii I'lil liorsciiH'ii it is ;i iiiosl Miliialilc rciiicdy for all ohsti- iiiitc! wounds, bruises, galls, tumors, and sores, ^^'e shall refer to it in subsccjueiit portions of the work as (•(unplioraicd rorroxive Hublimate or No. 2. 1 Pint >i)iril» ortnrju'iitiiiu, 1 Oz. lincly |)ulv(!iizcii corrosive sublimate, 1 Oz. gum cumphor. Have the corrosive suhliiiiate xci y (ini'ly gi-ouinl in a druggist's mortar, ( llic ellicary ol' I lie coiiiiKiiind depends inucli upon t his ) ; pulverize the gum eami)h()r ; put all together into a good strong bottle, and shake thoroughly. Then let it stand for al least twenty-four iiours — longer would be better, as it becomes more and mon^ valuable with age and re|)eat(Hl shakings — and it will do to use. In ap[)lying it, saturate a small mop, nuid(^ of soft rags, neatly and firmly tied upon a stick. AVash befoi-e making fii'st a])plieation of No. 2, l)ut afterwards, unless tiie foot lieconies \('r\- foul, this need not be done. The liniment should be applied once a (la_\ till cure is effected. Keep the horse out of the wet during treatment, especially if the cam- phorated corrosive sublimate is used. See to it, also, that his stable i.s not onh' (lr\ , l)ul air\'. If it is pasture lime, he will need no other food than grass, unless i) is found necessary to stable him, to k>'ep him from I'ains and dc^ws. In any evcnl, he ought to be fed ratlu-r lightly at first, and with food not calculated to inliamc. If the time is Winter give as much green, soft fwod as can be con\'eniently had, such as roots, chops, etc. II. Grease, or Cracked Heels. Causes.' — This disease is but a modilication of sci'atches and nf tlirush — ])artaking more of the nature of thrush, however, than of scrati'hes, as it is eontined almost exclusivcdy to the heel, th(^ seat of th(> thrush, which is seldom attacked by the scratches. It is occasionalh' the result of constitutional weakness or derangement. When the system abounds in morbid matter, its tendency is towards the heels, and debility is felt in thi> distended vessels remote from tiie vital organs, ending in inllammation of the skin of the heels, distension of the sebaceous glands, a slinking deposit (Ui the surface, and a purulent dis- charge through ci-acks. Cutting away the hair of the fetlock, and thus exposing to sudden and ])rotracted cold the parts which it is designed to jiroteot, often eau.ses this affection, even in animals of otherwise good condition. Fre(iuentlv, however, it may be regarded as most probably a secondary disease, oriirinating in some other, which has resulted from careless or inlunnan treatment, or from constitutional weakness. IIIK lIDKSr,, .SKIN DI.SKA.SES, ETC. IStl It is not coiitagioiis ; Imt tilth and want of attention will pi-odui-c it in ncarl\- all horses siniilailv suhjeetod to their intlueiiees. How to know it. — It manifests nearly tiio vcit same symptoms as thrush, as given in tiu^ following seetion ; hut there is one striking peeu- liaritv which distinguishes it from thrush, fool-evil, and other disorders of that kind — the heel cnickx apin. in a healthy state, th(^ heel of the horse is moistened, and so kept from bceojuiu^ dry and hard, by a eon- stiint secretion and discharge of an oily duid from the cellular tissues undei- the skin. A\'hen this is obstructed, tlu^ skin becomes dry and fe\crish, and looks scurfy and hot. It soon thereafter cracks, and the j)ent-ui) oily secretion, now turned to a foul, yellowish water, How^s out. As the How of matter increases, it becomes mni-e and nion; thick, stickoy, and stinking; and if not attended tf), tlu^ heel and sides of tlu; foot l)ecome a mass of ulcerated e.Xf^resecnses. It sometimes manifests itself by the oozing out of ■ a thin matter through the pores of the skin fi-om some deep-seated di.sease of either the eofRn-bon(^ or the navicular joint — most fre- quently the latter. The more effective treatment in this case would of course be that directed to the healing of the primary disorder. What to do. — The treatment necessary is sim- ilar to that for scratciu's. In the first place, see to it that the causes which have induced it shall no longer operat(\ If the disease is secondary, it must be somewhat difficult to manage ; and the ani- mal should be allowed to re.st, taking only such ex- {•rcise as nature prompts, in an open pasture, ex- cept in l)ad weather. When it is necessary to con- tine him, give him a good stable, dry litter, and jiure air. Remember tliat rest is one of the fir.st conditions of success ; while constant driving or an\' other labor will most ])rol)ably defeat the ends of the physician. If the disca,sc is discovered in its early .stage, and second st^B^r con the general health of the anim.il has not suffered, riRMKDGnBASBCBACKs. cleanse the parts well with tepid water and ca.stilc soap, and make occasional applications of Xo. 2, or the (•.■iniphor- ated corrosive sublimate, say on(te a day, till a cure is effected. \ few applications will generally be found sufficient . If the hor.se is thin in flesh, and in a low state of health troTn the effects of this disease, mix sulphur ,and rosin, in the proportion of two FinsT Stage op CoNFinMBD GRKA8E Exudation. 1!I2 II.I.ISTKATKI) STOC'K DOCTOR. |)!irts of tlu' foniuT (() one of llic latter, aiul uivc him a (jiiarter of a pound of this every third day until he has taicen three or ^ir doses. Mcauwliile, thorouj^hly saturate the parts at least every other day with No. 2 till tiie disease is thoroughly eoncpiered. If the liniment forms a seal) upon the heel, so hard and dry that tiie reuK-dial effeets seem to ecase, omit the liniment for several days and keep the heel well greased. The seal) will eome off, and then the api)li- eatioii of the liniment, (No. 2), may he resumed. 1'liis eoui'se must l)e persevered in till a euro is effected. The liniment should be applied at night ; and tiic iiorse should not ]«• turned into pasture wIkmi the grass is wet with dew or rain — at any rate, not till six hours after tlie application has been made. In kSummer, pasturage will in general afford sutticient food ; but in Winter it should l)e more nourishing, yet green and succulent as far as possible. Roots and good bran mashes ought to be given in reasonable ([uantity. (irain, as a regular diet in this case, is objec-tionable, on account of its tenden<'y to produce intl.-imination. After three doses of the sulphur and rosin have been given, as direi-ted, the following mixture, given every night until all traces of the active disease have disapjjeared, will be found an excellent tonic or strengthen- ing medicine, and ha\ing the efft'ct, too, of giving healthy tone to the skin : No. 3. K Oz. liquor of nrsenicalis, 1 Oz. tini'tuiT of nuiiiatc of iron, >i IMiit of water. This constitutes a dose. Mix and gi\c as a drench. When it is ditHcult to procui'c No. '2, the following maybe j)repared and substituted therefor: . • No. 4. S Oz. tar, 1 O/.. beeswax, 1 Oz. rosin, 1 Oz. uluin, 1 Oz. fallow, 1 Oz. sulphate of iron, 1 Draelira carbolic acid. lMi\. and boil onci' a slow tire, stirring as long as dirty scuin appears, and then add '2 o/. of the scrapings of sweet elder. III. Thrush. Causes. — This, like scratches, results for th(> most i)art from foul stables, — the horses being forced to stand in mortar of dung and urine, — or from working in nniddy and filthy phices, without having his feet and legs well cleansed when he is unharnessed for the night. TIIK IIOIJSK, SKIN DlJSKASKS, KTC. VX^ It is sometimes caused hv injuries to the frog of tiie foot, as bruising, snagging, and improper shoeing. It may arise also from a gross iialiil of hodv, jiioducing iullanmiation of tne sensitive frog, wiien a sjjongv suhstanee is deposited instead of sound horn ; and this breaks awa}' and leaves the frog i-agged and tender Again, it may come from too frequently stopping soft frogs with cow dung, as is the practice of some grooms, thus encouraging rather than curing decomposition. Lastlv, it mav be secondarw having I'esulted fi'om other diseases, superintluccd b\- want of clc^inlincss and care. How to Know It. — In some cases, Ihc only means of detecting the existence of tiniisliisa ])eculiar smell, or b\- ver}' cart'ful examination, as the hoof ni:i\' shf)w no change, and the frog may not be tender. In this case tin; cleft of th(^ frog will generally be found lengthened and deepened, the (>i)ening extending to tin; sensitive horn within, and this, when thus closely observed, shows discharge of matter. The ])rogress of the disease is often slow , though showing meanwhile no disi)osition to heal ; till after awhile the frog begins to contract, becomes tender, grows rough and brittle, and emits a more offensive discharge. The horny part disappears, and a hardened substance takes its place ; this easily scales oi¥ and leaves the sensitive frog uncovered. In its advanced state, it is very easily detected, as it is characterized by a eontiimous discharge of offensive matter from the cleft of the frog. If not reasonably attended to, i)roud flesh sprouts up ; and as this s])reads the whole foot becomes involved in canker. What to do. — In tiie first place, if the causes wiiicli lia\c jn'oduced the disease arc still in ojieration, renio\c these. In any case, when the horse is to be stabled, use dry litter, and see that the stall is kept clear of moist e.vcrement, and that it is well ventilated. If the disease is secondai-y, the treatnient must of course be directed to removing the aifection from which it has spi-ung. In its simjile stages, it may be easily cured in tiie following niannei-; Clean well with soa[) suds, and allow to dry. Then, wet a piece; of cloth or string of tow with the liniment No. 2, and press it into the cleft of the frog and the corresponding ])art of the heel. Remove the tow- next morning. Continue this treatment, (jtutting in the saturated tow at evening), for four days ; then omit a day ; and so on until a cure is effected. Or, sprinkle a small cpiantity of lilue \iti-iol in the cleft of the frog, and then till up the cavities with e()ttiit not too scvci'c exercise every day. The local ai)|)li('ation must not lie of a stimulating eiiarneler. Put the foot in a bran pouUioo, and let it remain for some days, till tiie intlaunnation is redueed. Ho careful, however, uol to use tiie pouitiee too much, as undue softening is injurious. Then dress the frog with tar ointuient, (a mixture of e(|ual parts of tar and grease). If the frog is found not to harden by the ap|)lication of the tar ointment, moisten it occasionally with a solution of 10 grs. of l)lue-st(uie to 1 oz. of water; or, (which is a somewhat moi-e powerful medieint^), /> grs. of chloride of zinc to 1 oz. of water. W'iien the disease has l)ee. 1 Dnicliin oiiitmnit lying between the skin and bones in those parts of the Ic"- most destitute of muscles. A poor condition of the blood, or feel)leness from gi*eat loss of it, may cause the legs to swell, since the fluids conveyed to the extremities l)y the capillaries accumulate there, l)ecause, in the absence of muscular activity, the veins have no power to return tiiem. Diseased kidneys have a tendency to produce this disorder of the legs. The inflammatory type may result from blows upon the lower leg ; from concussion; or, in general, from anything that may arrest the 196 ILLIIHTHAIKI) STOl K IXXri'Olt. iKtioii (if (lie (■('lliilar lissuo rcfciTod to, fiiusiiig il to hccoino dry and at li'ii^tli iicwlcly iiillaiiicd. It iiiiiy also arise from tlio shifting of intlaiii- matioii from oilier parts, as from the liin.ns, kidneys, cte. Morses of eoarse liher and full habit, ueeustonied to exercise, if allowed to stand idle several days, will hav(! swelled legs from the aeeuniulation of watery fluid ; and, if unattended to, the parts may soon hv. attiutked hy inllannnation, when the tissues become involved, and the disease assumes its more sc^rious typ(^ It is occasionally a mere (^\tension of (he effects of cracked hec^ls, with its j)rimary caus<( resting in whatever may haye produced the primary disorder. How to know it. — I'lic leg becomes greatly swollen, and looks as though it was stretched to its utmost tension. Occ.asionall)', the swell- ing appears almost suddenly, and llicii as suddenly subsides, in which case the cause may be considered as having but just begun to operate ; and if now treated, it is easily managed. Again, it is sometimes sudden in its attack, and vioh^it ; the skin is hot, dry, and extremely tender, and the pulse is (juick and hard, whih^ a peculiar lameness speedily sets 111 The swelling niay extend to the slu-ath and along the belly, as far as the muscles of tlu^ bn^ast. In the more advanccid stage of tlu^ disease small (^-ac^ks appear in the skni , and from tlies(^ exudes a. wati^ry matter, of Avhitish-y(>llow color, similar to that which is seen in cracked heels. In this case it must be taken for granti'd that no tri-atmciil, liowe\'er skilfull, can s|>(>e(lily remo\(' il ; that llie improvement nnisl be slow, ami coiise(|uenlly inuch time re<|uired. What to do. — II" tlie disease seems to be merely undue (le|)osit of serum, owing to continement, nothing mori' may be necessary than (o give the aninnd a dose or two of niter, daily, to act u|)oii the kidneys ; and to exercise him regularlw In induce absorption. In the adminis- tering of a diuretic, howi'ver, e\cn so simple as niter, care should bo taken that it is not left to ignorant and irresponsible grooms, since it may be givi'ii in excess, and result in disordering the kidneys, and thus ultimately inducing the xcry disease which il is intended to icmedy. When theri' is a tendency to s\\'ellei Lb. flax Heeil. Mix well ; and divide into six doses, of which give one night and morning in the food. Bandage and rub alternately, as previously directed. If the disease does not s])eedily show signs r)f yielding to this treatment, a[)])ly, every night, omitting the bandage, the following liniment : No. 9. 2 Oz. CBHenee of eedar, 1 Oz. tincture of eapsicum, 1 pint flew rum. Wlien cracking of the skin has taken place, so that matter exudes, and there is much fev a day, a pint at a time, to act on the skin, until cure is effected, being careful, meanwiiile, if the weather is cool, to keep the horse comfortably Avarm — blanketing him if necessary; and a half hour's M'alking exercise should be gi\en him daily. The arsenical drink consists of these ingredients in the propoi-tions named : No. 10. 1 Fluid oz. arsenicalis, or Fowler's solution, 1 ,'i Fluid oz. tincture of muriate of iron, 1 Quart water. If the disease has sprung from a thick and impure state of the blood, disordered digestive organs, and general ill condition, take fi"om the 200 iM,i!sruA'rKi) stock ixk rou. iici'k \('iii from tlirt'c In live <|ii;ii-ts of Mood, accordiufj: to strength, cxtciil of cniplioii and dogrec of fever. Keep liiin from bccomiug (■osti\(' 1)\' cooliiij;- and laxative food, as previously dirin'ted ; see that he is eomfortahly staltled, if the weather is at all inelemeiit, and yive, on several sucu'ossivo nights, the following alterative : No. 11. 2 Drucbins Uivi^iiled (linely ground) untimony, 3 DrauhmH iiitur, 4 UraclimH sulphur. The food should he good — if possible, green and sueeulent ; and it will lie found advantageous to take the ehill from water given him, if the wcatiier is at all cold. If the ai)petite is bad, plaee gruel in the manger, so thai he may use it instead of water till stronger food is relished. If il is Summer, or Spring is suttieiently aiUanccd lo be mild, he may be turned to pasture; but in any event, hi' should be allowed to rest during treat nienl . In tin- more eonlirmed cases a speedy eure is not to be expected ; but good food, not of a iialure to induce costi\'eness and inllammat ion, and proper care as to warmth and cleanliness, together with a proper use of No. 1 1, will bring the patient round in time. In verv obstinate ceases, oeeasionally anoint those parts where the lumps appear with a mixture of .sulphur and ianl, in eijual proportions. VII. Mange. Causes. — This is sometimes brought .about by the same causes as surfeit ; or rather, it is indeed but an ad\ancc(l or chronic stage of that disease ; though in some cases of the same kind, it is of a much more serious chai'acter in itself, and highly contagious. When not a mere secondary stage of neglected surfeit, its immediate cause is a pai'asite — the acarus — bred in the skin of the animal when subjected to ilirt and tilth, and ilebilitated by hartl living and ill usage, or i)y total neglect and lack of food. The acarus i)roduees numge in the horse in the same m;inner as the human ])arasite pi'oduces itch in man ; but it is of a diffei-cnt species, and frc<|iiently so large as to be \isible to tile n.akcd c\'e. Neglect, starvation, and accumulated tilth having induced a di'praved state of the digesti\e apparatus, with which the skin sympathises, and the insect once having obtained a lodgment, the horse, unless promptly taken in hand, soon becomes a loathsome object, and dies. Tiie diNcasc once contract<'(l in this way, m;iy be counnunicated to eviMi sound aiiinuds, in good condition: in fact, the great majority of eases are thus contracted, as comparatively few animals are so utterly neglected TlIK IIOK.SK, SKIN DISKASKS, KTC. 201 or exposed to filthy iiidiniiccs as to Ixcomc in tiiciiisclvfs tlic d by itching to rub himself frequently and violently, and he thus ieav<'s his scurf, dandruff, and in the more advanced stage, his parasites, at evcrv place. Usually, where the disease is engendered in the animal itself, it appears first on the sid<^ of the neck, just at th(! edges of the mane, and on iIk inside of the cpiarters near the root of tlu^ tail. From these parts the eruption extends along the back and down the sides, seldom involving the e.xtremitit's, except in tiie very worst cases. Sometimes, though rarch'. the ears and eve-brows aie attacked and left bare. ^^'llen it is tiie result of contagion, t\ii- horse may .at first be in iiealth ; but the constant ii'rilation makes jiini fe\crisli, tiie iiair falls off as in tiie first ease described, leaving tin' skin in those places almost bare; and little red pim]iles ap])ear here and there. Ka<'h of these contains a l).arasite, and the pimples are connected by furrows .along which the parasites have woi'ked their way. In time thcA' inci'case in nnnilier and size, and from them exudes a m.atter which hardens into a seal). I'nder these scabs the parasites may be found, upon I'cmoving them .and care- fully <'xaniiiiing in the sunlight. In the early stage of the disease, where it nuiy be sus])ected, but is not yet fully manifest, it may be detected by placing the fingers among the roots of the mane and tickling the skin with the nails. The horse is so sensitive to titillation when in this condition that he will thereupon sfri'tch out his neck and evince the most unmistakable pleasure as long as the ti<'kling continues. What to do. — The most effectual preventive, it will be readily inferred l'()2 ILM.STUATKI) STOCK DOCTOR. fi'oin tlic pi'cccding' statt'iiR'ut of causes, is clciuiliiiess. In no case slioulil ii licaltlij animal he allowed to occ^upy a stable where a mangy one has l)eeii kept until it shall hav(^ i)reviously hecu washed with water sti'onfily impregnat(!d with sulphur and chloride of lime — say half a pound of powdered suljjhur and one i)int of chloride of lime to each gallon of water. If the stable is thoroughly cleansed of loosi^ litter and dirt, anil all parts that may have been rubbed against by a mangy horse l)erfectly saturated with this solution two or three times, on as many consecutive days, there can be no danger in using it. Clothing, curry- comb, brush, etc., that may have conu' in contact with suc'h aninud, should be i)urnc(l up. If starvation, weakness, and general ill condition Iia\'e caused the mange, a patent means for its rcniovid will be fouiitl in gi\ing him clean cjuarters and good nourishing food ; which, however, should not be at lirsf of a heating nature. (Jenerous pasturage, unless the weather is damp, will ln' sutlic-ient ; otherwise, a full supply of oats and chop food should be given. It cannot be too much insisted upon that especially while tr(>ating a horse for disease his stable should be dry, well ventilated and properly supi)lied with litter. In cases of full habit of body, wiiere the disease is the i-csult of contact, and the presence of high fever is noted, bleed once, taking from I lie neck vein from thre(^ to five (piarts, according to the condition of the animal and tiic degree of fever; but if it is the result of poverty and debility, do not bleed at all. Ne.xt, hav<' him as thoroughly cleansed of seal) and dirt as |)ossil)le, with a wis]) of hay, aiill with a soft cloth. Care nmst be taken to rub it in thoroughly. A little well rubbed in is better than much merely smeared on. Leave him in this condition two days; then wash him well with warm water and soft .soap ; stand him in the sunshine if the weather admits, and rub with a wisp of hay or with suitable cloths until he is dry; after which, anoint him pretty well all over with the mixture described. No. 12, and nil) if in. This course should be pursued imtil a cure is effected. IIIK IIOiiSK, SKIN DISEASKS, KTC. 20H Two to four applications will {ioiiorally l)c fouixl siifticiciil, even in obstinate cases, if care is taken as to food and drink. I'lic follo\vinz. t;irl;Mi/.cMl aniimony, 2 Ur.s. nniiialu of quicksilver, 3 Oz. powdered ginger. :! Oz. powdered anise seeds. Mix with nnicilaii^c so as to form a consistent mass; divide into six- balls, and pe ajjpears in round, bald sjjots, covered with white .scales, and surrounded by a ring of bristly, l)roken, or sjjlit hairs, with scabs around the roots, and scmie eruption on the skin. These broken hairs soon drop out, and a wider ring is formed. The most marked characteristic of the contagious r)r parasitical ringworm is the splitting of the hairs in the ring, and the perfect baldness of the central part. Occa.sionally the patches, in <'itiier form of the disease, assume an irregular rather than a really circular form. Any attack of this sort is usually marked also by the horse's rubbing and scratching himself again.st the sides of his .stable, or convenient objects outside ; but this is not to be depended upon as a marked symp- tom, since it likewise indicates surfeit and mange. What to do — If a simjjle, non-contagious case, shave the hairs as closely as possiiilc from the affected part, and paint with tincture of iodine ; or, if scratches or little ulcers have appeared on the patch, rub it with the following stimulating and healing ointment: 14 204 ILLUSTUATEU STOCK DOCTOR. No. 14. 10 Grains nitrate of silver, 1 Oz. lard. If it is a case of the eontagious or sealy variety, wash the patches thoroughly with soft water and soft soaji, and then rub every day with the following ointment : No. 15. hi Drachm iodine, 1 Draclim ioditle ol potash, 1 Oz. eosmoline. If through negleet and long standing it has ulcerated, use this ointment twice daily : No. Hi. 6 Oz. pyroligneous acid, 5 Oz. linseed oil, ■2 Oz. spirits of camphor. If it has become obstinate — uot yielding to the foregoing treatment — apply a blister directly over the patch, and then treat as for a common sore, using some simple ointment. If there are signs of constipation and fever, care must be taken to keep the bowels open and regular, and to avoid stimulating grain food. A seasonable supply of cut grass and sliced potatoes, or of carrots, if they can be obtained, should be allowed. If in Spring and Summer, and the horse is not in active use, put him to pasture for a few days. When the horse shows a tendency to weakness, as is sometimes the case with young animals, and with those suffering from neglect, give good nutritious food, and tonic medicine in moderation. To prevent spreading the fcontagious form, clean the stable where a horse So afflicted has stood, and white-wash its interior thoroughly. Wash the harness, collars, and whatever else may have covered the ring- worm, with strong soap and water, and rub them over with a solution of corrosive sublimate, (one drachm to a pint of water.) If the horse has been blanketed while suffering with the disease, the blanket should be well boiled. IX. Hide-bound. Causes — Strictly speaking, this is not of itself a disease, though the skin is in a peculiarly abnormal condition, but the result of a diseased condition of the general system or of derangement of some specific vital function. With respect to the causes from which it arises, it is some- what similar to mange ; but, milike mange, it is neither eruptive nor contagious. Poverly and cruel usage — the food being deficient in quantity or TflK HOKSK, SKIN DISEASES, ETC. 205 ^^4^*;7a ^\.^X\lf One of the Cxu-iKs < f Hide-bound in Hor'^es. quality, and tlit- labor onerous — bring on impaired digestion ; the blood becomes thick, dark, and feverish, because the secretive processes are sluggishlj' performed ; the skin sympathizes mth these internal disorders, and ihe lubricating fluid through the pores is suspended ; and then, instead of remaining soft and pliant, it becomes dry and adheres to the body. A disordei-cd state of the stomach, bo\vels, and urinary and respiratory organs may be considered as having produced it when no si)ccific form of disease can be discovered as existing ; but it is an almost invariable accompaniment, in a greater or less degree of intensity, of big head, glanders, grease, farcy, founder, distemper, bad cases of swinney, big shoulder, lock-jaw, consumption, and chronic dysentery. The fever in these dries up the watery secretions and shrinks the hide. Formiu'ly it was supposed to be caused by worms in the stomacii and alimentar}' canal ; but this is erroneous. Worms may of course exist while the horse is in this state, but tliey are rather a consequence than a cause — the result tif iinpei-fcct digestion and excretion. The skin, as has been elsewhere stated, sympathizes readily with the vital internal organs, and in all obscure; cases hide-bound should be considered a sym])tom of disorder in these, and treated accordingly. How to know it — The skin is dry and hard, and the hair is rougli and rusty. Both are evidently destitute of th.'it oil by M'hich in health they are kept in soft, pliant, and glossy condition. Adhering almost immov- ably to the ribs, legs, neck — almo.st every jjart of the body — the skin cannot be caught up in folds with the hand. At times it ajipears scurfy, and the exhalants, (having the ((uaiity of giving out or evaporating), pour L'Oli ll.l.l STUAI'lOU STOCK DOCTOK. foi'lli imiisu.il (|ii;nititics of iinittci', llic more solid poi'tions of \\lii(!h form .sciili's :iinl give tlio horse ii filthy iijjpoarimcc. Tlic cxcrcinciit or (luii <)/.. ptiwiliTcd siisafnis bark, :i (>/.. siilphur, ;i oz. wilt, i Oz. blooilroot, 2 Oz. balmony, 1 Lb. oatmcul. Mix, and divide into twelve doses. If he appears in tlie beginning of the treatment to be filthy, fcveri.sh, and stii¥, bleed him — taking from the neck vein three (juarts. If the stiffness continues, bleed again after seven days, taking a like (|uantity. If the appetite is l)ad, mix with Is'o. 17, (the alterative above described), a spoonful of ground ginger ; but in general you should avoid cordials, tonics, and aromatics, (that is, warm and pungent mi'dicines). They nia\- arouse fe\er that would otherwise fail to develop itself, and thus defeat tlu' ol)jeet for which the mild laxatives and temperate alteratives prescribed liave bei'ii gi\'en. Cordials may indeed arouse the vital functions to sudden action ; but even if no lasting f(>ver is created, the action soon subsides, rendering it necessary to continue the cordial or forego whatever seeming advantage may have been tierived from it. If excitmeiit is continued by this means, the powers of nature are impaired and lasting injury done. A good and sutfieient tonic may be furni.shed, of whidi the horse will IIIK lloitsi;, SKIN DISKASICS, KTC. 207 partake as imidi as tlic system rc(Hiii-cs, hy plMiini;- a poplai- pole in ihc stiihlo, U])()n wliifli \w. can coiivcniciitly g'liaw. If tlui time is W'iiitci-, it will i^-ciicrally he ("(iiind iicccssarv to i)('ji;iii tlic course of treatment l>y ilil<', lint at am I'ale nutritions withmit Kein;:' intlannnatorv), with cleanliness and rcirnlar ri-i, and prove a source of constant trouble. The liist thing in order will be to take the horse from work, if al all practicable. If not. use a breast-strap, so as to prevent all further dialing. If the swelling is recent, apply cold water often, or cover the part with a wet rag hung over the shoulders in such a way as to remain in contact with the swelliiiif. This naist l)e kept constant 1>' wet. But if the tumor is hwge, and of long standing — alrcach- hartleiied and containing matter deeply hidden, open with a knife — making a smooth, vertical cut, and of sufficient dej)th to thoroughly evacuate the pus. Syringe the opening well e\-c]-y day M'ith the following solution : No. 19. 30 (iraiiis oliloridf of zinc, 1 (iiiart water. If tlie wound seems iiieliiied to heal and leave a hard lump in doing so, discontinue tluc injection, and nib fre()uently with the following liniment to promote the absorption of- the callous or gristly formation : No. 20. 1 Oz. ioilinc, 12 Oz. soap liniment. XII. Warts. Causes — II is ditli<'ult to point out anything that may l)e inii)lieitly received as the cause of these excrescences, (ienerally accompanying a plethoric condition, they may be considered as owing their origin i^riina- rilv to high feeding and insufficient exercise. This, however, must not be taken as conclusive, since they not unfrequently api)ear upon active animals, of meagre iiabit. 210 ILLLSIUATKU STOCK DOCTOR. Tlu' nianiKM' of tlicir formation sceins to be tliis : Knots in the true skin aro gniduaily tlcvclopcd, being surrounded with a covering of the searf- skiu, something thielvened and matted together ; and tliis outer covering generally dries and splits into tibers towards the top, while blood, in greater quantities than usual, is sent to the inner or vascular parts ; and more nutriment is thus diverted to it than to the surrounding flesh, so that an upward or outward growth is promoted. 8(!ed warts usually make their appearance on the eyelids, the nose, the sheath and adjoining parts of the bi;lly ; the encysted or sac warts, on the pasterns, iiock-joints, and knee-joints, and sometimes upon the sheath and neighboi-ing parts. Unless warts appear upon the penis they are not injurious to health, and at first occasion little inconvenience imless upon the shoulder or some part where harness or sadtlle touciies constantly ; but tiiey should be removed, nevertheless — particularly the sac wart and those seed warts which manifest a tendency to enlargement. If the encysted or blood wart is allowc^d to r(>niain it will almost invariahly enlarge and spread. How to know it — There are two kinds of these formations, one of which is Hl)rous, white, and gristly or cartilaginous, but somewhat si)ongy lump, contained in a sac or cell wliich has taken its rise from the outer or scarf-skin ; and the oilier is a somewhat cartilaginous substance, not inclosed, but adhering iirndy to tlie skin — a hard excrescence, — the " seed wart," — which is too well known to requii'e particular description. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the blood wart, as the former is sometimes called, from the seed wart ; but it generally presents a more rounded, smooth appearance, and sometimes hangs as by a little stem, in whic^h last case it is readily known. What to do. — If ther(! is doubt as to the character of the wart, the matter nia\- be speedily determined hy running a sharp-knife througii it; when, if a l)l()od or sac wart, the contents will come out, accompanied \)\ more or less copious bleeding; whereas, the seed wart ■wall in tJiis case l)e merely divided by the incision, each part retaining its firmness or consistency. When the blood wart is thus o])ened, nothing more will be necessary than to touch the part with a solution of chloride of zinc, one grain to the ounce of water, or lunar caustii-. When these warts are attached to the sldn by narrow bases, or small stems, they may be clipped off with knife or scissors, and the part slightly burned over with caustics as pre- viously directed. If the growth is of the fixed kind, ov seed wart, remove by means of scissors or knife when standing sir,gly ; but if the stem or base is large, THK IIOKISK, iSKIN DISKASES, KTC. 211 or if the warts grow in hunchos, too numerous :ind too close together to be (;ut away, i)iek off or otherwise chafe the rough outer sui'facc so as to make it bleed; then with a stiff brush rub iu yellow orpiment wetted with a little water, and iu a few days they will come away, or may be rubbed off, and leave a healthy sore, which soon heals. If the entire wart does not come off by reason of one application, repeat. When the penis is wholly covered with warts, the best plan is to have it amputated, as the warts cannot easily be removed without destroving as much of it as it would be necessary to remove entirely in order to be rid of them. Xni. Vermin. CaU38S — Vermin are liotli a cause and a consequent of skin disease ; and Vjeing also l)red in tlic hairy covering, pcrliaps in the very skin itself, they are iiroi)erly treated in this connection. Every species of animal is more or less troul)lc(l with his own i)cculiar insect tormentor ; and while no Mcll-detined cause can be assigned as to their origin, they are almost always found associated with filth and squalor. Tht'v sonu^times, however, trouble animals of fair condition, and accus- tomed to reasonable care ; but in this case they are caught by contact. Poor, ill-car(!d-for, mangy horses, colts in tlic S[)ring of the year, with long, uncurried coats, and old and feebh^ horses with like rough and shaggy covering, most probalily breed them ; and on these they are most fre(}uently and plentifully found. The itching torment to which they subject diseased animals doubtless intensifies whatever disorder may exist ; and the very earliest opportunity shouhl be taken to eradicate them from the sufferer. When horses stand in i)ro.ximitv to a hen-iiousc, tliey are often seriously annoyed with hen-lice, which an^ even more tormenting than those peculiar to the horse himself. How to know it — The horse infested witli vermin will usually mani- fest his uneasini^ss by biting and rul)i)ing himself ; l)ut their presence may be unmistakably detected by a more or less careful examination of his coat . What to do — If the horse is suffering from some skin disease re(juir- ing treatment, the means adopted for this will almost invariably suffice of themselves to remove the vermin ; but where no su<^h disease exists, and it is a simple case of lousiness, anoint him with the following salve : 212 ILLUSTUATKL) STOCK DOCTOK. 1 Dr. carbolic acid crystals, 1 Quart fresh lard. Rill) it iijion ovory part of the hoih' thoroughly; wash with warm soap suds next day ; repeat if neeessary — at la.st washiuji' and drying. Attention to his general health will also be demanded ; and to this end he should be upon good pasture, or a liberal siii)i)iy of noiirishiiig but not heating food should be given. If it is ii case of lien-liee, the first thing to be done is to remove the horse from the phice infested with tiiest', and then to anoint and wash as before directed. XIV. Larva in the Skin. Causes, — The huva, which infests chiefly the back — ^that pai-t of the horse upon wliich saddle or harness must press — is not only a source of trouble to the animal, but of great inconvenience to the master, as the iicute painfulness of a tumor r.aised by one of these grubs often pre- vents use. The larva is the offspring of a Hy which deposits its eggs upon the back and sides of the horse while he is out at pasture or roaming at large upon the common. This fly does not fretiuent the barn-yard and stable, so that horses which are contiiunl to these M'hen not in use are never annoyed with the larvii. The eggs are hatched by the warmth of the animal ; and the (creature burrows into the skin, where it remains and grows till Spring, raising meanwhile, by its irritating presence, a small lump, wliich is eventually developed into a painful tumor, upon the pus of which the insect pro- longs a life that it began upon the natural juices of the sldn and cellu- lar tissue. How to know it — The most unmistakable sign of the trouble, when it is luil i>laiiily discernible with the eye, is the restlessness manifested bv the horse when subjected to the saddle. When he does this, and no well-detined occasion for his displeasure and his pranks is readily per- ceptible, examination will reveal a tmnor or ab.scess if the larva is jiresent ; for the horse will hardly grow resti\'e at tirst, when there is a mere lump in the skin. Upon the top of this abscess a black spot will be found, which is the jioint of entrance, and the opening through which the insect obtains the little air that it needs. What to do.— The 1)est thing to do, because both quick(>st and safest, is to open the top of the tumor .slightly with a lancet, and then to squeeze out the larva. The wound should then be dressed a tinu; or two TllK lIOUSi;, SKIN DISKASES, ETC. 213 with a solution of one jj^rain of chloride of zinc to one gill of water ; and the trouijle will soon bo over. XV. Tetter. Causes — This seems to arise from some constitutional cause, wliich it is difficult to [)oint out. It appears on horses of different conditions or habit of body. On sonic it breaks out periodically, Summer after Summer. It is not contagious, unless negle('ted until it assumes the epizootic form, which it sometimes does, after which it is communicable 1o both man and hor,se. There are said by some; to l)e two or three forms of tetter, but in reality whatever different forms it may assume, when not complicated with other affections, they are indications of different degrees of severity. How to know it.— The attack is usually sudden, and the animal is observed to iiib liimself severely, as suffering from intense itchiness. The neck, shoulders, back, and thighs are the j)oints ordinarily affected. Upon examination, the skin will be found red with inflannnation, some- times torn or scratched by rubbing; and the blisters or pimples will be seen on those parts of the inflamed spot not so torn or scratched. These l)listers Ijreak, and a watery fluid is discharged, which keeps the surface moist. In its more advanced stage it may be taken for mango ; but it may be distinguished from mange In' its manifesting less tendency to spread and invade all parts of the skin ; and by the absence of parasites under the scabliy portions. What to do. — First, see that the horse's bowels are put in good condi- tion. If there is any tendency to plethora, (too great fulness), to constipation, or general feverishness, give him a purgative dose ; and in any event let his food be of such character as to prevent costiveness. Give, once a day, an ounce of Fowler's solution of arsenic. Rub the affected pails well with sweet oil, and let it remain thereon for a few hours ; then wash with warm soapsuds so as to remove the scabs or scales. Then cover the diseased surface and some portion of the healthy skin all round with the following ointment: No. 22. >i Lb. flour of sulphur, >i Lb. carbonate of potash, 1 Oz. carbolic acid, 2 Lbs. lard, 2 Lbs. olive oil. 21 I ILLUSTKAIKl) STOCK DOCTOR. Mix well witli a iiciitli^ heat. Allow il lo i-ciuain on llu- skin for two or (lircc (la\s, aiul tliini wash off with stroni:; soap and water. Tar oiatniont, (otjual i]uantitic\s of tar and lard well mixed with i;;('ntl(^ heat ), is an excellent external applieatlon, and may be used when No. 22 is dillieult lo procure. XVI. Rat Tails. Causes Simple letter, as also mallenders and sallenders, is sonu'timcs allowed tlirouiih negleet to heeome obstinate; the skin Ihiekeiis ; ugly cracks are formed, from whi<'h tlows in abundance a sort of purulent half-watery fluid ; upon the thickened portion of the skin the scabs increase, growing up into somewhat i)t'ri)endieular layers, and the hairs growing from these are glued together by the exuding matter. Such bunches of matted hair are I'alled, by reason of their api)earance, "rat tails." The disease seems occasionally to be produced outright, witiiout the suporvcntioii of any other known disorder, liy much exposure to wet ground of a chalky or loani>' nature, or to sticky nuid. How to know it. — It appears chiefly upon the legs, one or all of which may be affected at the same time ; but the hairs of the tail, especially near the root of the tail, are often found in the condition described, and for a like reason. 'I'etter, ringworm, or some other dis- order prodm-es itehing ; the horse rubs the i)art till it becomes raw ; matter exudes at length, and the hair is matted in bunches along the upper portion of the tail bone, as shown in the flgure exhibiting external nuuiifestations of disease. If resulting from either neglected tetter, no matter what its position, or from nudlenders and sallenders, it is accompanied by itchiness ; but this is generally less severe than is the case with these disorders in their simple form, ^^'llcn the disease is fully developed, the apjjearance of the bunches of hair upon the parts is a suiKcieut indication. What to do — As in sim])le tetter, attention must be directed to estab- lishing a good ciindition of the bowels; and to this end a purgative may be given — especially if tiiere is any indication of constipation and gcuer.d feverislmess. The food must be regulated by the neees.sity of kci'ping down all intlaninuitory symptoms. Make a tonic powder as follows: No. 23. 12 Oz. sulpllur, 1 I>r. nrscnic, 1 Oz, bruised coriaiulor seed. I>i\ ide info twelve parts aiui gi\c one in the food night and morning. THE HOUSE, SKIN DI.SEASKS, ETC". 215 Dress the sores three (iiiies a day willi tlic foUowiiii^ lotion, sippljing with a soft rag : No. "it. 1 Fluid oz. laiidiiiumi, 1 Fluid oz. glycerine, K Oz. csrbonatc of soda, 1 (^iiart w.itor. XVII. Mallenders and Sallenders. Causes. — By these terms are denoted oozy, seurfy patehes upon the knee and iiock — those wliieh apjx'ar haeiv of the knee ])eiiig railed (for what reason nobody seems to know) mallenders ; and those whieh appear in front of the liocU, sallenders. They spring from idleness and iiegleet — an impure state; of the blood having been brought on by heating and unsuitable diet, and disorders of the bowels, liver, or kidneys. Though of no serious impoi-tanee as diseases, they are unsightl}-, and, if negleeted, they result in troublesome sores. How to know it. — They first begin as a moist tetter, apt to eseape o])ser\atii)n until they ajjpear in a roughened state of hair about the ])arts mentioned, under whieh the skin i.s seurfy, feverish and somewhat tende'r. Itching of such severity sometimes attends them as to render the horse restive and hard to keep under i-esti-aint. What to do — In the tirst plaee attend to the cleanliness of the horse and put him upon a reguhir course of moderate exercise. Give him twii'e daily, night and morning, a pint of the excellent alterative and tonic drink : No. 2ij. 1 Fluid oz. liquor arseiiicalis, 1)4 Oz. tincture muriate of Iron, 1 (^t. water. Rul) the parts affected two or three times a day with an ointment made as follows : No. 26. 1 Oz. animal glycerine, 2 Drs. mercurial ointment, 2 Drs. powdered ointment, 1 Oz. spermacetti. If the scurfy places have d('Velo|)('d into suppurating sores, use, instead of the ointment, the following lotion, saturating them well twice a day: No. 27. ,'a I'int animal glycerine, )i Oz. chloride of zinc, 6 Quarts water. Be careful that his food is such as to keej) him from con.stipation and fever. 2i(; II.HSTRATEl) STOCK DOCTOR. XVIII. Poll-evil. Causes Poll-t'vil is the name given to :i deep abscess having its seat of i)rini;iry intiiinmmtion between tiie ligament of the neck and the first bone which lies beneath without l)eing attached to it ; and it is serious in its nature by reason of this depth and of the difficulty with which the matter formed finds its way to the surface through the strong fibrous membrane that envelopes it. If not attended to in its earlj- stages, the surface of the first bone from the head, or that of the joint between the first two bones, becomes inflamed, and the joint or joints involved. The disease may be said to owe its origin almost wholly to violence of some kind. A l)l()w upon the poll by a brutal driver may very readily produce it ; and much slighter causes, often repeated, result in this affection ; as, the forcing on of a tight collar day after day ; hanging back and so bruising the poll with liridle or halter ; and excessive rubbing of that part because of itch produced I)}' dirt accunmlated about the ears and upper point of the neck and not carried away by brush or currycomb. Striking the head against low ceilings aad the beams of low doorways is doubtless responsible for very many cases of this dangerous and disa- greeable disorder. How to know it — A certain restlessness, a throwing back of the head and then returning; again, a drooping tendeuc}^ turning the head from one side to the other ; a dull appearance about the eyes ; a sluggishness of movement — all these are sometimes observed before anj^ symptoms of the disease may be discovered about the head. Sometimes no notice is taken of its existence until considerable swelling and even an unwholesome discharge have set in ; but more frequently an oval tumor is discovered, — hot, tender, situated directly in the region of the nape of the neck, but generatly inclining to one side. In the milder form this tumor is evidently superficial ; and the horse moves his head with comparative ease and freedom ; whereas, in the more advanced stage he carries it stiffly, and every movement of it or the neck causes great pain. Sometimes- the disorder is so deeply- seated that the tumor is not developed sufficicnth' to make much outward show_ It is nnicli likelier to discover itself plainly as a well-developed swelling when the hurt is superficial. In any case, it must Ix' examined with the fingers to deter- mine this point. Place the fingers gently upon it, and give the animal time to re- cover from tlie little scare into M'hich this toucliiiig of ;i sore at first gives him ; POLL-KVIL DURING TUK FlItST STAGK. THE HORSE, SKIN DISEASES, ETC. 217 tlicn graduiilh' press upon the part. If the hurt is near the surfaee,he will flinch quickly ; if deeply seated, he will be corres])ondingh- slow in show- ing evidences of pain. If suppura- tion has already set in, it can readily be known when near the surface by a sort of fluctuating feeling ; but this fluctuation can scarcely be felt at all if tlic matter is deep seated. PoLL-KVIL IN ITS SECOND St What to do. — If discovered when there is nothing more than a swelling, no matter having yet been found, remove all tendency to general fever- islmcss liy giving ])urgative medicine according to evident fullness of condition ; allow the horse to rest ; and put him on moderatelv light diet. Then make the following cooling lotion, and keep the swelling constantly moistened with it by having a small rag pad laid over it and saturated with the mixture from time to time : No. 28. 2 Oz. tincture of arnica, 1 Dr. iodide of potassium, 1 Qt. vinegar, 1 (^t. camomile infusion. If this does not reduce the inflammation and remove the swelling within a few days, it ma}' be inferred that matter is already' forming, though it may have been impossible at tirst to detect it ; and you must ])ring it to a head as soon as practicable by poulticing. Use for tliis pur- pose a mixture of ground flax seed, corn meal, oil of turpentine, and hog's lard. As soon as matter can be felt, have ready a large and very sharp knife ; east the animal, and have some one to sit ujion his neck to prevent struggling ; then open with a quick, steady, and strong sweep of the blade through the tumor — being careful to have the wound open at the lower point of the tumor, so as to provide for more easily draining it of matter that may hereafter form. Be careful, too, not to cut the tendinous ligament that runs along the neck under the mane. If the matter appears to be on both sides, open the places separatelj^, so as to leave this ligament undivided. It may, if absolutely necessary, be severed between the second lione and the head, and the support of the head be not materially weakened, since the main stress is on the second bone, and the di\'ided ligament, if healthy, will soon heal again ; but it is best to avoid all risks ; and if at all convenient, the aid of an ex]3er- ienced veterinary surgeon should be had when it becomes necessary to use the knife. 218 ILHISTKATEl) STOCK DOCTOR. Tho wound iiiiist now be cli'imscd hy l)oin<>; isyrinii;i'd daily with a stini- uliitin;ides of tiic withers, generally rather broad and flat. Upon exam- ination with the fingers this will be found hot, tender, and ai)i)arentlv deep seated. If observed when first formed, it will be of uniform hardness throughout. If unattended to while, in this state, the tumor soon becomes an abscess ; and owing to the difficulty in the way of the matter's escaping, (its natural outlet being at the top of the shoulders), the pus sinks downward ; and the abscess sometimes becomes enormous before; there is any well defined head, and before there is any opening. When it breaks, or is opened, a large quantity of extremely offensive matter fiows out. Ordinarily, the tumor will come to a head in from one to two weeks. When the discharge has begun, the tumor does not begin to grow healthy and heal, but the walls of the opening thicken, and continue to discharge matter which becomes more and more offensive. The matter burrows between the shoulder blade and spinal ])oints, and everything around seems to be rotting away ; and it is both difficult and dangerous to trace the opening. In process of time several holes M'ill ap[)ear along the course of the muscles in contact with the original al)scess, and from each issues a foul discharge, till the ulcerating process seems to extend itself to nearly all the muscles of the shoulder. Tiie health of the animal may at first be excellent, and there may be no lameness ; but as the inflanmiatiou extends, there is lameness of the shoulder, and he suffers generally — often greatly. He is averse to motion, and will suffer for food and drink rather than undergo the pain 15 220 ILLU.STKATEI^ ST(J(K DOCTOK. .)f trvinii' to reach and ])artakc of it. oxtciuliiii;- into tlic sinucs decay. Ill its worist .stao;e.s the bones What to do — Be careful to ascertain, in the first place, whether the tumor has nowly risen. The matter may form in one, even while it is quite small ; and it is important to know when the knife may be used to advantajie. If nuitt(M- has already form(>d, it I'an be detected b}- the somewhat soft and fluctuat- ing feeliuir of tiie abscess. If discovered while still a new formation, tiike the horse from work, if possible ; if not, take especial pains to protect the in- jured point or points from pressure. A l)ruise at that point of the with- ers wliere the collar rests will not unfit a horse for the saddle, unless considcral)le inflammation and ex- tending soreness has already set in ; nor will a saddle bruise, farther back on the withers, necessarih' un- fit him for harness. A recent swelling should l)e im- mediately treated with fomentations of bitter herbs. Boil wormwood, or nmllen stalks, or life-everlasting in soft water, to make a strong decoction ; and applj' it with large woolen c-loths, as hot as can be borne, to ha.sten the formation of nuittcr. When the tumor begins to soften and show signs of heading, have a suitable, fine-pointed, sharp knife. Ascertain the lowest point of the abscess. Then stand close to his side, near the middle, to avoid both hind and fore feet in case of kicking or striking, with the back of the knife to the shoulder ; jioint ujiward and outward, stick at the lower edge, and cut open Mdth a free incisidii. Next, syringe the abscess till it is as thoroughly cleansed as possible witli a solution of carbolic acid and water, one part acid to two of water. Tlien dress with coal oil, or some convenient salve. After two or three days, the wound should be thorouglily cleansed by syringing with warm sbap suds ; then use the carbolic acid water, and repeat the oil or salve dressing ; and so on till a cure is effected. Tile iiatient must in no case be turned to pasture, since the constant motion of the neck and jaws necessary to procuring and masticating his food aggravates every .symptom. Stable liim comfortably, and feed FiSTDLons Withers— Worst Stage. TIIK HOKSK, SKIN DISEASES, ETC. 221 acc'oiMliiiii' to his i!:<'iHTal cdiulilion. Let liiin Imvc water frcclv : and trive opportunity cacli ilay for sonic exercise \>\ allo\\iiiy some that all the air passages are always affected — that it is a kind of phthisic, or inci|)iint pulmonary disorder — and that whether the ulcers apjjear on the nienihrane of the nose prior or subsc(]uent to the formation of tubercles in tlic lungs docs not invalidate the proposition that the cailicst external manifestations arc luil the effects of pnimonarj' derangement. 'i'he most tenable conclusion, how- ever, is plainly this: that inflammation of the membrane^ of tlu^ nos((, and confined to that membrane, at last results in ulceration; that tlu^ niattei- discharged from thes(^ is jjoisonous, and acts upon the glands by nutans of the absorl)(>nfs with which it comes in contact, and is also inhaled into the lungs with the air as it pas.ses through the nasal cavitu-s, till at length both the ciiculatoiy and the I'cspiratoi'y sy.stems are gen- erally dise:is(!d. Whenc^e thi.s poison is derived is not at all clearly defined. The disease is both .spontaneous, (bred in the horse), and contagious ; but it is doubt- less due far more frequi-ntly to predisposing cause than to contagion. It is found as a prevalent disease where neglect, tilfh, and foul atmosphere exist; and we may reasonably conclude that poisonou.i inhalations, acting upon the delicate snid easily irritated membrane of the nose, produce- that incii)ient ulceration from wliidi the subsccpient general poisoning .proceeds. In <;los_v tlic onlinarv ol)si>rvci', till sonic intense action is set up. wlien iile(>ratioii takes plaei'. Or it may be proiluetHl \>y anytiiinji- tiiat injures and \vi>akens tiio. vital eneri:\ of this niemltrane ; as vioU'iit catarrh, acconii)anied l)y U)ng con- linued discharge from the nostrils ; a fracture of tlu> hones of the nose ; ami the too fi'iMiucnt injection of stimulating and acid suhstances up the nostrils. Kxcrything that Avcakcns the constitution, may. under peculiar circumstances, produce glanders. .Vniong the hurtful inlluciici's that may opt-rate to this end \v(> may enumerate: liardshi|)s and an exhausted <'on.stitution ; am intcrfei'cncc \\ ith the due elimination or throwing off of inorhid and \\aste matter ficun the system : want of regular exercise; sudden and \ ioleiit exercise when the horse has nut lieeii previously pre- l)ared for it ; jilacing a weak and worn-out horse upon a course of diet that is too nutritious and stimulating: .and hereditary predisposition to certain forms of disease. One point is deserving of sjiecial meiitiou : it is sometimes jjresent and contagious in animals apparently in tine Ixtdily condition ; other horses ma\' contr.ict the disease from such a one and die of it while it is still ditticult to discoM'i- unmistakalile traces of it in tlu' tirst. 'riiere may be intlammat ion. and minute nlecrs so far up the nasal passages as not to be seen : these little hidden ulci'rs may discharge so .small a quantity of mat- ter as to escape notice, and yet the matter is so poisonous that when it comes in contact w ith any thin and delicate membrane, by which it mav he absorbed, it will produce glanders. Weeks, and e\en months, mav iiiterveiu' between the tirst existence of intlanu-d mcmbrani' and the development of the disease. In this case there may be counteracting tendencies, requiring some violent action or sudden change to determine the issue. It must be observed that its infectious nature is iu>t general, but par- ticular — depending upon inoculation with the matter exuded from glanderous ulcers, or at least from jioison reci'ivcd in .some wav from the gl.'indcreil animal and communicated directly to a wound or to some del- icate membrane of anotiier horse, an ass, or a human being. How to know it. — .\s may lx> inferred fnnu tiie preceding, it is not always easy to detect the actual presence of this disease, though it is often a matter of i)arainouut importance that it should be known. Its dangerous character as an infectious disorder makes it essential that it should he known in its very earliest stages, that the proper precautions may be taken to pre\ cut the infection from spreading. THK IIOH8I:, IJISKASES OK TIIK NA.SAL (ILAXUS, ETC. 225 'rhcrc arc sonic .sviiii)t()iiis llial iiiav he ol)sci-\-c(l, even Kefore tlie a])i)eariuiee of any discliargt! wliatevcr ; and tlii-se may he de.serilK'd, thoiurh Ihey may sometimes prove fallacious, and are found to he ItuI extraordinary indications of some other disease. The first si<:;ns an; those? of heaviness, dullness, followed hy fever: the eves avv I'cd and unhealtliy lookinj^, while the light is sccmin^rly l>aiiiriil (o th(!m. 'I'hc hail' is one day dry, the; next, pci'haps, it resumes its natural apj)carancc, and so altcrnatinf^ until after awhile it heconies starinvement, and so altcrnatinjij till at lenjrth he hejrins to show sijrus of ))einianently failinjf health and of a .dan- dered coiidilion. After these manifestations there may he said to he three stajres of the disearse, the ))eeuliarities of each of which, in so far as they are distinctly defined, an; frenerall\- as follows: In the first stafre the dischai'jre so much resemhlcs th:it whicii attends some other nasal affection as some- tiincs to |)ass uimoticcfl, hut examination will disclose a curious fai't which h;is not liecn accounted for, — it will Ix- found confined to one nostril, and that, in the \ast niajorit\ of cases, tlic left. ( )cr-asioiiall\- it is the riiilit, very seldom holli. This, howexcr, must not he rcfxardcd as a peculiarity of the first only, as it is common to c\ci'y stajre of the disease. 'J'lic! second staire is cliaracti'ii/.cd hy an imrcaseil How, and it also 1)ecf)nies iiifn-e mucous and stick\-, while its color chaiifrcs from an almost transparent li or sdlowish tin .-0011 ehan;>(! ii,i.is'ri{Ai'i;i> stock hdcioi;. This mm he ri'^Ml'dcil ;is ;m .'ilnuist (•()M(lnsi\ (• test. 'I'lic iuciiil)l:mc of till- nose will now lie loiiiid nf cilluTM (l;iik imiiilish Inic or ;i IcadiMl color (lie hillrr, unless I luTc is sonir ol' (lie ii'dniss of inll;iinni;it ioil ; mid iilcci's will pi'olndilv ii|t|)(';ii' upon llu' iiu'Milu'iUU', usually ii|)pro!icliiii{j to a circular forui, ami deep, willi altrupt aud prominent cde no fui'tlu r douM . Iml care must lie taken to know that lliev are not sjuits of mucous. To this end, try wiietlier tiiey ni:i\ lie iii'ushed away. Is'otii'e particularly, too, tliat the oriiice of tho duel wliieli comiects with tiie tear "glands is just within (he nostril, and on the inner side of it ; otherwisi>, this, if foul, may ln> mistaken for an uleei'. This oriiice ina\- he I'cadily distiiiiiuislied fi-om an nhiT iiy olisi>ryinji' that it is on ihe eontinualion of the eonniion skin, while tho <;laiiderous ulcei-s arc on (he memluane of the nose. \\'lu'n these ulcers liCLiin to lie \ isililc, I he i;enei-al condition rows more and more di>liili(a(ed : thci-e is more or less eoujth ; the discliariie increases in (|uanti(y, and its increased poisonous character causi>s it. Ic remoye tlu> hair wliei'c it (lows, while it seems (inj.jed witli Mood, and is offt'usiyi' to (he smell. In (he (hird staji'e the ulcers lum- lieeome lariri"r and more numerous; and upon placinii' the ear to (he horse's chest , a jiratinjj;, ehokiiiii noiso will lie heard at c\ cry ait of lireat hiiii;'. The air passajies ln>iiii!; olistrneted, c\i'r\ li|-calh is drawn with dillieult\ . The skin of tli(" foi'elieail will be found somew hill I liiekened. swelled, and peculiarly tiMidci- ; the mendirano liniiii:- tlic fionlal opcmiiiis ol the nose will lie not only ulcerated hut e\idenll\ mllamcd ; the diseharjivs are increased and lieeume inoi'e sticky and of darker color, thouiih still somewhat tleeked with Mood. The ali>orlients liccomi' more and more in\ol\ed: it seems now Ih.at iicneral ulceration has set in ; and the additional symptoms are henceforth those of farcy. To preyiMit its lieinj:- mistaken in its earlier .staijcs for stran throat, aeconipanied jienerally liy distressinjj eouii'h and some wheezinu;. The i-nlarjienient which sometimes appears beneath the jaw in strangles is not a siuiile small u'land, but a swellins; of the whole substance between (he jaws, jrrowinjr harder (oward the center, and at lenulh. d' the disease laius on. lireakin will lie \i'iy red, and ihc discharsje from the nostrils profuse and mattery almost from the lirst. When the tumor has burst, the fcyer will abate and tiiehor.se will speedily ^et well. 'IIIIO IIOIiSK, IMHKASKH Ol' IIIK NAHAl, K, KT<;. 227 To diKtiii<;uiHii it from catiirrh, for wliidi alno it iH HoiiiclitiicH iiiihl:ik(Mi, ot)Mcrv(! tliiit fcvci', loKK of appetite, eou^liiiif^, and nore lliroat all aeeompaiiy eatai-ili, \vlierea8 the, discliar{i;<' a sort of limpid or ilear fluid, without an\' of the ai-tive and violent symptoms bcan;^; manifest; but that all this tiim? the horse may b(! abh- to communicate the disease to others; and that thes(! may die of it while he is yet in reasonalily fair eonditi'iii. It can hardly escapcr the iiitellij.''ent horse owner that every known eausc! of the disciise should, if possible, be ])romptly removed. Close, dam[), dark stables, recikinj^ with exhalations distilled from miiijrled dung, urine, and rain water, ought at any rate to begin to receive a little attention aftc-r the |)oor occu])aiit has caught what is monr than likidy to prove his dr-ath ; if he is jaded and exhausted by labor, no hope of curt in Icnglh — so arranging the cloth as to have it project beyond the end of the stick to be inserted, to [)revent any roughness that might abrade or scratch the membrane, and fastening very securely, to prevent its slipping off. If this treatment is found not to \w c>fficacious, or if the disease has already devel()])ed into the second stage — the discharge more mucous, .slicky, and .stringy, with glands swollen and the meiiii)rane of the nose of a dark juirple or leaden t'olor — adopt the following treatment, and carr\- it out enei'getically and i)ersistently : TlIK lIOIiSK, DISEASES OK TIIK NASAL GLANDS, KTC. 229 Tiikc from the neck vein from tliivc to six (|uarts of l)lood, accord- ing as tlio horse may apj)car feeble or j)k'tlioric'. j\Iakc a gallon of very strong decoction or tea of tobacco leaves, which keep ready for use. Put enough of this into warm water, (as warm as the horse can well l)ear), and swab out his nostrils with it, as high up as j)ossible, using mop as just directed. Then put a gill of this same strong tobacco tea into a pint of warm water, and drench him with the solution. There must be no uneasiness on account of tlie dreadful sickness which this will produce. The tobacco is necessiiry thoroughly to relax the system and overcome tixed or chronic tendencies, and to counteract the influence of the glanderous poison. Swab out the nose every day for eight or ten days, and drench every third day for from two to four weeks, or until the discharge has ceased and the ulcers are j)erceptibly healing. So for the first two stages. If all these directions, (those as to food and car(> as well as for the administering of medicines), are faithfully carried out, a reasonal)le hope of success uv.iy be entertained. If the disease has passed into the tliird stage, ho\vc\'er, no treatment can ])e confidently recommended. So doubt lui is it as trison. A horse affected witli this disease, in any stage, is dangerous to the man who handles him ; but he is doubly so, perhaps, when he has become a loathsome object in limbs and body as well as in head ; and under ordinary circumstances it is doubtless best to destroy him as quickly as ])(issible. In case treatment is determined u]ion, nothing better than that ]irescribed for the second stage can be reconunended. The reader's attention ought to be called to this fact: that there have been instances of a sjjontaneous cure of glanders — that is, of cures having taken place without the agency of remedial means used by man ; 2,^0 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. hut all .siu'li Ciuses may have been apparent rather than real — a mere sus- pension of the active powers of the poison — and they ought to be looked upon with suspicion. These may be resumed at some future time and with fatal result. It remains now but to suggest some precautionary measures to prevent contagion, in addition to those which have already been given. If a stable is known to have been used by a glandered horse, no other animal should be allowed to occupy it until the trough, the rack, and the walls have been thoroughly scraped and scoured with strong soap and warm water. Then take one j^int of chloride of lime and dissolve it in two gal- lons of water, with which thoroughly saturate every part that the horse's nose may have touched. Next, white- wash the walls inside. Then burn bridles, halters, buckets out of which he has drunk — whatever may have been about his head — and if any blanketing has been used have it care- fully cleansed by washing, or burn it up. II. Farcy. Causes — In treating of glanders and farcy there if? a great diversity of ojjinion as to the relations in which they stand to each other — which is the antecedent, which the consequent ; but the most sensible view of the matter, and the one taken by the ablest veterinarians, is this : that the two are but different manifestions of the same disease, and that they might with propriety be so treated. Regarding them separately it is difficult to say which is the more acute form, wliich the more chronic, as it IS now generally conceded that a horse afflicted with what may seem at first a well-developed case of glanders may be presently laboring under confirmed farcy — the last state apparently worse than the first ; again, a case of farcy may assume the type to which the name glanders is applied, and in this case also there seems to be a development of the first into a more hopeless disorder. This would be a matter, however, of no special consequence to the intelligent horse owner were it not that the confused notions of men concerning the two affections might chance to bring him face to face with this difficulty : that, unable to eliminate the truth from the tangled statements of some who, entertaining diverse \'iews, may take it upon themselves to advise, he may find himself halting between two opinions when it is of vital consequence that he should be doing something. Let him be assured that it is Avholly unnecessary to trouble himself with nice questions as to the priority of either disease or the real difference between them ; the one important ])oiiit for him is to be able to detect in the incipiency of an attack of either that one of them is present. THE IIOKSE, DISEASES OF THE NASAL GLANDS, ETC. 231 Spealdng now of the farcy as a distinct disease, it is to he regarded as a general poisoned condition of the horse — the poison having its imme- diate origin in an ulcerated condition of the lymphatic glands ; and its remote origin in whatever tends to disorder these lymphatics. The remote causes are often found in constitutional or inherited tendencies, but more frequently, no doubt, in neglect and abuse — some of the forms which these take on being overwork and under-feeding ; lack of the curry-comb and brush ; exposure to the foul atmosphere of dark, damp stables, and their accumulations of lilth. The glands so affected are more numerous along the jaws, neck, and flanks than elsewhere near the skin. Some species of poison is taken iuto the system of the animal, which manifests itself by an enlargement of some of these glands into the hard, rounded lumps, cnWed fare i/-fjt((h, or buttons, which presently secrete and discharge dangerous infectious matter. The absorbents whose office it is to remove useless particles from the Ijody, take up from beneath the skin some of this virus ; they inflame with it and swell ; and by their connection with the veins give the latter a corded, swollen appearance. The poison, of course, finally reaches the veins and is mingled with the blood ; by the blood it is convej'ed to every part of the system. Acting upon the valves of the veins — those little membranous sacs which assist in giving the blood a uniform tendency towards the heart — the poison creates new knots or l)uttons, and thus they increase until many portions of the skin are covered with putrid ulcers The first existence of an ulcerous condition may not be ui)on an}' visible portion of the body. Minute poisonous ulcerations may arise in the recesses of the nose, and discharge so slightly as to escape observation until the general system is thoroughly inoculated with the virus. It IS, however, extremely capricious in its manifestations ; probably owing more to the peculiarities of different animals than to any difference as to either immediate or remote causes of the disease itself. It occa- sionally takes on a lingering form, and will continue for months and years ; again it will run its course and kill the horse in an incredibly short tnue. It is extremely contagious in all its stages, and is communicable not only to ()th(>r lirutes, but to man. How to know it — it is difficult to give in few words such directions as enalil(> the unprofessional and inexperienced reader readily to detect this disease in its incipiency, and to distinguish, in its somewhat advanced state, between it and some other diseases which have, occasionally similar manifestations. It often perplexes by the different forms it assumes ; but close attention to the following particulars and a mde-awake interest, ■>;-i9 ILLU.STKATEU .STOCK DOCTOR. that leads one to observe ehanges aiul peculiar conditions will probably sutfice : In some eases the horse will drooji for many days before the appear- ance of either buds or corded veins ; the appetite is impaired ; the coat is staring, or rough and unpleasant to the sight ; his mouth is hot ; his thirst great and dilficult to (juench ; the urine is highly colored ; the hail- comes off easily ; and he e\'inces then the symptoms of a generally deranged condition. Sometimes the horse will appear to Ije perfectly well at night, and next morning one leg, usually the liind leg, will be fearfully swollen, hot with fever, and almost without the power of moving. At other times the head will swell, the muzzle, particularly, will be enlarged, and an offensive dischai-ge proceed from the nose. Again, this tendency to the swelling of the leg is accompanied by cracks at the heels, leading the inexperienced to mistake it for ordinary "swelled legs" or for "grease."' When taken by inoculation, (the poison having been received from another animal or from trough, stable, or curry-comb), it is apt to manifest itself in its earliest stages by shivering, followed by heat of body, a frequent and hard pulse, dullness, accelerated breathing, and rapid elevation of temperature. These attacks may speedily prove fatal. In all these cases, the poison has been worldng, but is not yet outwardly manifest. Generally the tirst stage of umnistakable local manifestation is a swelling of the lymphatics, a development of the "farcy-bud." A single bud will sometimes appear near the pastern joint and run up in an uneven knotty form. They usually appear, however, along the sides of the neck or inside the legs, and are rounded, with an elevated edge, and a pale surface. These presently burst and discharge a watery fluid for some time, when a change takes place and the discharges become more mattery and offensive, and are mixed Math blood. They frequently increase in number until the neck, shoulders, and legs are almost entirely covered with them — ^ sometimes almost the M'hole body becomes a putrid loathsome mass. In this last case there are no longer any buds or knots, as the veins have become so generally injured as not to show special prominences at the yah-ular points. Occ-asionullvMt will be found that the buds will not ulcerate, but become hard and dilEcult to remove. This indicates that the progress of the disease is suspended ; but the poison is in the system, and if steps are not taken at once to eradicate the seeds of the malady, it will in time break out and destroy the horse. When it rises along the spine, as it occasionally docs, it is to be considered malignant and ver}' dangerous, pax-ticularly to those horses THE HOUSE, DISEASES OF THE NASAL (iLAXDS ETC. 233 that arc fat and full-l)loodcd — the diseases in this case beinAsAL (il.ANDK, ETC. 235 conio off; tlio •rrncral ;i]i|)(';iran(c liltliy ;iiie adijpted and jjerseveriiigl}' I'arried out : lu the first phiee, observe all the preeautions as to diet- and th(^ state of the bowels previously reconnnended, being careful to guard against extensive purging, for this will tend rather to reduce the disease to a lower stage, and to retard recovci-y. Bleed at once, taking from two to four quarts of blood from the neck vein, according as the body is more or less inHanied. Take a gill of very sti'ong solution of tobacco and i)our it into a pint of warm water, and drench M'ith it. Kepeat this dose every third day until a change for the better has evidently taken place. If the feverish state <-ontinues lie should l)e bled again, t. iking a like (|uantity as at first, within a week or ten days. The i)racti<-e of l)lecuttons appearing in some in.stances along the spine — the case may well be looked upon as hopeless ; and if there are other animals that are in danger of taking the affection from him, it is doubtless be.st, as is generally recommended by English veterinarians, for even much milder form.s, to kill the horse and bury him beyond the reach of all danger to others. In this stage of the disease he is dangerous to man, and no one ought to be required to take the ri.sk of handling him. Lastly, every precaution should be taken to guard against the spread of the contagion. When a horse is known to be affected with farcy, no 10 23(3 • ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. time should be lost in cleaiisiug the stable where he has been confined — Avasliing the trough, nick and walls thoroughly, — saturating them after that with a strong solution of chloride of lime, (one pint of chloride to two gallons of water), and then white-washing the walls inside. Curry- comb, blanket — whatever may have the poison adhering to it — had better be burned. I III. Distemper Causes. — This is an epidemic disease, occurring in young horses, geu- erallv, and when it once breaks out all the animals in the stable are likely to be infected with it, unless they have already had it. Colts and young horses will take it from older ones more easily than older ones from the young. If it is not actually generated by tilth and uncleanness in the stables, the disease is certainly aggravated by causes producing miasma and l)ad air in the stables. Therefore cleanliness is essential not only as a means of preventing the disease, but in rendering it of a mild type when it breaks out Horses will contract the disease from others when at a considerable distance. It is supposed to be communicated both by actual contact and also from germs proceeding from the breath. Hence when once it breaks out, at the first symptoms, isolate the sick animal or animals, fumigate the stable thoroughly and daily. To do this fill the stable with tobacco smoke, both the stable from whence the sick horses have been taken, and the place where they are confined during treatment. Let the smoke be so thick as to become quite inconvenient. Make all the animals inhale as much as possible. Wash every part of the stable, and especially the feeding places and hay racks, M'ith a strong decoction of tobacco stems, u.sing for the purpose cheap, rank tobacco. Keep powdered tobacco leaves in the mangers of all the horses. This being early attended to its spread may be generally arrested. How to know it. — The disease has three stages. In the early stage of the disease there is a dry, hacking cough, and there will be noticed a discharge from the nose, first of a thin, watery fluid succeeded by a thicker, purulent discharge of a whitish color. The next stage of the disease shows itself in a swelling of the throat. The salivary glands, which at first were inflamed, are now closed, and pus is being formed. At length an abscess is formed. The third stage is the suppurative stage, in which the abscess breaks ; THE HORSE, ITS DISEASES. 237 sometimes there are two. From this time on, the animal is in a fair way to mend, and every means should he taken to promote the diseharge. lu bad cases the suppuration may continue for weeks, and in extreme cases it may continue for months. From first to last there is a fever. The pulse is (luickened and hard. The appetite fails, both from the fever and inability to swallow. As the fever increases the eyes become dull and jrlassy : the hair is dry, will not lie close, looks dead ; and the animal stands with its head drooped, and the whole appearance is stupid. What to do. — In some cases, bleeding will be indicated. This, iiow- ever, should not be allowed except under the advice of a competent veterinary surgeon or physician. If the animal is fat, or if there are in- dications of blood poisoning, from a quart to three pints of blood may be taken from the neck vein. The animal must be warmly clothed and kept in a thoroughh' well ventilated but comfortable stable. Let the food be light, but nourishing. Mashes made of oat-meal and bran ; also boiled oats ; oat-meal gruel, and hay-tea should be given for drink. Give the following : No. 33. 1 table-spoonful pulverized gum myrrh, 1 table-spoonful j;un powder, 1 table-spoonful lard, i table-spoonful soft-soap, 2 table-spoonfuls tar. Mix, and put a spoonful of this mixture on a long, narrow paddle down the throat twice a day, so it will lodge about the glands of the throat. Let all drink and food have the chill taken off before giving it. If there is considerable fever and the tongue is coated, give a little cream of tartar in the drink. If the limbs are cold, bandage them and hand ruli to promote circulation. Give once a day in the food the following: Xo. 34. 2 or three ounces flower of sulphur, 1 ounce resin. To be mixed in the food if it will eat, or in the drink. Give also three ounces of sulphur per day, if the animal will take it. AVash the neck two or three times a day with a decoction of tobacco as hot as the animal will bear it. If these remedies are taken in time and faithfully applied, they will often prevent any tumor from forming. If the tumor form.-, then every means must be employed to cause it to suppurate. It will then be dan£erous to scatter it. If the bowels are obstructed, remove the contents of the rectum by the following injection : •2;ifi ILIA'.S'l'KATKU STOCK DOCTOR. No. 35. 4 Draclims powdered uloes, 1 Onichm common salt, 2 Drachms hot water. Mix, and inject when lilood-warm. Use every p()ssil)le moans to proinolc the formation of pus and its times a day with a brush until soreness is produced. Af- ter each application keep the ])arts warm with folds of flannel, kept in plaec with an eight-tailed bandage, a piece of flannel having three slits put in the (mhIs for tying, and long enough to go romid the throat and tie over the top of tiie head. If this does no) cause tlic tumor to form, pi-e])arc a jioultice as follows : EIGUT-TAILKD BAND.UM:. No. ;i7. 1 Part iiowilcruil slippery elm, 1 Part poplar bark, 1 Part ground llax seed. Moisten with vinegar and walcu" ccjual i>arts, (juilt between two folds of cloth and apply to as large a surface as possible. When the tumor has formed pus and is nearly ripe, which may be known by a soft ])lace where it is working its way to the surface, open it with a knife with a round- pointed blade, and if necessary increase the opening with a button-pointed bistoury, to allow free exit of matter. It will give almost immediate re- lief. Then apply to the swollen glands night and morning, the following : No. 38 4 Ounces spirits of camphor, 3 Ounces pyroligneous acid, 1 Pint neat's foot oil. Mix. If the acid is not to be easily obtained use strong cider vinegar. Prepare the following powders : No. 39. 2 Ounces powdered jtentinn, 1 (.Hince powdered golden .seal, 1 Ounce powdered pleurisy root, 1 Pound t)owdered liiiuorice root. Mix. and divide into six powders, to be given in the food night and morning. TIIK IIOi;SK, ITS DISEASES. 239 IV. Nasal Gleet. Causes. — Tlils affliction sometimes follows disitcmper and strano-les and is one of the attendants on glanders, sometimes runninc; into it. It is sometimes caused by a chronic affection of the schneiderian surfaces. It is caused sometimes by the relaxing and enlarging of the ducts commu- nicating between the cavities of the mouth and nose by disease, alldwiiiir the semi-liquid food and its juices to pass into the nostrils. This is true chronic gleet, and the discharge is tinged with what the animal eats. It is in one of its forms a suppuration of the nmcus membrane lining in the facial sinuses, producing distortion and a terribly offensive discharge, which may have been produced l)y a blow on the fa<'e. In bad cases the cheapest way is to end the animal's misery by killing. How to know it. — Discharge is not always present, neither is it uniform. Sometimes during fair weather it Mill bo discontinued. The discharges is a thick yellow nuicus tinged with gnsen, if the food })e grass, or with the color of (lie food. If it becomes ])urulent, that is pus, matter, and tinged with blood, it may end in ulceration of the cartilages of the nose, and iii glanders. If the discharge is confined to the left nostril, is tena- cious, ehistic, accumulates around the edges of the nose, if there is enlargement of the lymphatic submaxillary gland, under and on the side of the jaw, it is cheaper to kill the horse, or else call in a surgeon, since for the proper treatment of the disease (he trephine should be used, by which a circular piece of the bone may he taken out to facilitate treatment . How to Cure. — In mild cases look for decayed molar (grinding) teeth ; if found, remove them. Look for swelling of the frontal bone, ]n-oduced bv bruises. Put the horse where he may be comfortable, let his diet he light, but soft ; fresh grass in Summer, with good food. Inject (he nasal passages thoroughly with the following : No. 40. 1 OiiiK-e li;iyl)prry hurl;, 1 I'int boilins; water. When cool strain (hrougli a ar from about tho head, and the unnatural torpor no longer manifests itself. III. Dropsy of tho Chest. Causes. — This disease, (called also Indrotliorax), is frequently the seijuel of pleurisy, and is tlie result of the inflamed condition of the large surfaces of the covering of the heart and lungs. The absorbents are in- ade(|uate to the taking up of the abundant effusion, so that the chest is tilled, the hmgs are pressed upon antl death 1)}' suffocation follows. How to know it. — Tiie impaired appetite and chilliness of the ears and legs wiiicii characterize tiie last stag*; of pleurisy, change when it is about to assume a dropsical form, and the horse becomes more lively, his ap|)e- tite n^turns, his legs and cars become warm, the ej'es look more cheerful, and his manner is every way more encouraging. A few hours after this first apparent improvement, however, the breathing becomes labored, the nmscies quiver and twitch, and the nostrils flap. The animal stands with the legs wide apart, head low, or resting upon something, neck stretched out, eyes staring, and the motion of the flanks increased, even brought into forcible heaving action. The pulse is more frequent, but small, irregular and fluttering; and the nose, ears and legs become cold again. His weakness rapidh' increases, and if not relieved the animal dies, sometimes within a week, though he may linger much longer. The disease may be detected in its early stage, or immediately after the horse has shown signs of relief from pleurisy, by j)lacing the ear to the chest, near the breast bone. If the dropsical effusion has set in, tiie ear will detect no sound, nor will any be detected until the ear is jilaced high up the shoulder or flank, past the Uiiddle of the ribs. Holding it here, at the point where the breathing is first audible, and directing a slap to be made on the other side with the ojien hand, the examiner will hear a dull, splashing noise as though of disturbed water ; and there need be no longer any doubt as to tlie nature of tiie case. What to do. — In the first place adopt the use of diuretics and laxatives, that the various organs may be assisted in carrying off the accumulated fluid. For the first day give every six or eight hours, the following: No. 46. 4 Draclims powclercil nitrate of potasb, 1 Fluid ouiiL-e tincture of carilamoms, 10 (>/.. water. Mix tlie potash and water, and wiieii a clear sohition is formed ;i' drawn off, be careful to give the patient as much nourishing and carefully prepared food as he will con- sume ; and the following tonic ball should be administered night and morning for several times on alternate days : No. 48. 1 Drachm iodide of irou, >i (Jraiii Htrychnia, >i Dnicbra Bulpliate of zinc. 4 Drachms extract of gentian. IV. Dropsy of the Skin of the Chest. Causes. — This is an effusion of iluid underneath the skin of the chest ; and it is a sequel to various diseases — beginning generally to manifest itself only after the animal is reduced to a debilitated state. It is most likely to occur in the Sj)riiig and in the Fail of the year, at tlie time of changing the coat . How to Know it. — A swelling apjiears on the chest and somewhat between the forelegs ; and its dropsical character may l)e known bv its yieldfng to pressure of the fingers with a fluctuating feeling. What to do. — If it is the accompaniment of any more general disorder the first tiling, of course, is to remove that primary disease. Meanwhile if the fluid accumulates in any considcrai)le quantity, draw it off with the trocar ; and if there is not too much soreness, subject the part to regular and moderately vigorous friction occasionally for some days. Diuretics are always good in these dropsical complaints. No. 45 is good. It is important that the bowels be kept regular, and that good nutritious food, as boiled oats or boiled l)ai-ley, with wheat bran, be given regularly, and in sufficient quantity to nourish well. Give 4 drs. of gentian cverv other day for a week or two. It must be rememljered that these medicines are to be given only in case there is no treatment in progress for a more general disorder. V. Dropsy of the Scrotnm. Causes. — This is usually found in connection with dropsy of the abdo- men, and arises from either local injury and conse(|uent inflammation, followed by effusion, or by sympathy from that cause which has ))roduced the general abdominal trouble. How to Know it. — It is readily known by a chronic distension of the part, except when mistaken for scrotal hernia or rupture, from which it •JH't ILIiTTSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. mu\' 1)C! distiii<;-iii.', indeed, tiie primary disease can itself be removed; but wiien it tlepcnds upon intlamination of the peritoneum, or when it results from bad or deficient food and unwholesome surroundings, plac'e the horse in a good, dr}- and well-ventilated stall, feed him generously, and give him the following tonic ball, night and morning: Ko. 4!). 1 ()■/.. pnwilorc.l digitalis, ,'j (iz. Milpiiali' of iron. Mix witii mucilage and a spoonful of linseeil meal to form a ball of sufficient firmness for handling. It is important that the kidneys should be kejjt active, and the follow- ing diuretic must be used for that purpose : No. 50. 2 Pounds soap, 2 Pouiuls nitrate of potash, 3 Pounds rosin, 2 Pounds Venice turpentine, >i Pint oil of turpentine, Melt the soap and rosin slowly together, and stir in the other ingredi- ents while the former nuxture is cooling. Make it into 2-ounce balls with linseed meal, and give one at a time as often as necessary to keep up a somewhat copious action of the kidneys. If at any time the water accumulates in a great (|uantity, draw it off by means of a tine trocar, plunged into the most dependent or lowest part of the distended abdomen. CHAPTER V. DISEASES OP THE THROAT, CHEST AND LTJNGS. I. CHEST-POUNDBR. II. BRONCHITIS. III. PNEUMONIA, OR INFLAMMATIOS OP THE LUNGS. -IV. CONSUMPTION, V, PLEURISY. VI. COLDS. VII. ENLARGED GLANDS. VIII. SWELLFD THROAT, OB LARYNGITIS. IX. CHRONIC COUGH. X. MALIGNANT EPIDEMIC. XI. DIFFICULTY OF BRKATHING. XII. BROKEN WIND, —BELLOWS, — HEAVES. XIII. INFLUENZA. XIV. SPASMODIC ACTION OP THE GLOTTIS AND EPI- GLOTTIS XV. CROUP. XVI. BLEEDING FROM THE NOSE. XVII. STRANGLES. I. Chest-Founder. This when it is not soi'eness of the muscles from hard work, is rheu- matism in its acute form. Sometimes it is caused by lesion, or straining of the muscles or the tendons connected with them. Causes- — It nniy be brought on by suddenly allowing the horse to become chilled after heating, giving large drafts of cold water when warm, or driving him into cold water up to his belly when heated. How to know it. — The horse is dull ; his coat may be staring ; he is stiff, and mo\cs unwillingly. Sometimes the soreness extends to the limbs ; usually docs from sympathj'. There is fever in the parts affected and accelerated pulse, the latter from 70 to 80 beats in a minute. Also, sometimes profuse sweating and heaving at the flanks, but the legs will remain warm. The parts affected may be more or less swollen, but always tender to the touch. What to do. — Clothe the horse warmly, and put him where he may be kept so. If the animal is fat, and full of blood ; if there is evident determination of blood, bleed moderately, say a pint from the neck vein. THE HORSE, ITS DISEASES. 249 We never, however, advise bleeding, except by a veterinary surgeon or physician who knows his business. Wash the throat in warm salt and water. Relieve the bowels as soon as possible by an injection of soap suds, if the rectum be impacteti. Give as a laxative 4 draclims Barba- does aloes. Pulverize and mix into a ball with molasses and linseed meal to form a mass or give the following : Nu. ;■)!. a Oz. grouiul ginger, 1 Diaclim tartar emetic, 1 1'jut salt and water. Mix and give as wai'm as the horse can swallow it. As a rule the horse being thoroughly piiysiokcd will get better; if not, applv a mild blister. No. 52. 1 Oz. powdered eantliarides, 8 Oz. lard oil. Heat to l)lood heat and mix thoroughly. Shave the hair from the breast, wash with warm vinegar and apply the mixture rubbing it well in. When the blisters rise dress with a plaster of mutton tallow. A FIT SUBJECT FOR FOUNDER OR BRONCHITIS. II, Bronchitis. Causes. — Exposure of a heated and steaming horse to chill, or over exertion, and leaving the horse in the stable, when the system is quite relaxed. Riding to town and leaving a horse in the cold and wind while the owner is making himself comfortalile. There is first a cold, enlarged glands and swelled throat. The inflammation extends down from the 25Q ILLUSTKATEU STOCK DOCTOR. hirviix through the trachea into the l)roncliial tubes and air passages of ihe lungs, and ends sometimes in contirnied and incurable bronchitis. How to know it. — In the acute stage there is difficult}' and rapidity of l)reathing, from the filling of the membranes with blood and the con- sequent diminishing of the size of the tube. After a time mucus is formed and increases the difficulty of breathing and causes a cough. The pulse will be 60 or 70 beats per minute ; the cough will become hard and dry, and the sound in the throat will be rattling, and after the secretion of mucus a gurgling sound will be given similar to that made in blowing soap bubbles. In extreme cases the breathing becomes extremely labori- ous, the cough is constant and disti'cssing, the legs are extended, and at length the animal dies of suffocation. •^'^SyW^^ ;> "L"^*'^^ ^-^— L \ A HORSK DRESSED FOR BRONCHITIS. What to do. — The first step is to find the extent of the inflammation. Never bleed. Clothe the animal warmly and give an injection of warm water to relieve the bowels. Avoid all strong jjurgatives. In fact, give none unless the bowels are decidedly bound up. Let the food be soft and laxative, green grass in Summer, or mashes and gruels in Winter. For the throat, scalded soft hay, fastened by means of the eight tailed bandages, will be good. Wash the neck and chest with a weak decoction of tobacco as hot as it can be borne. ^Vlien dry, shave the hair from the chest and apply a blister of better strength than that advised for chest founder. The following will be good : No. 53. 1 Ounce powdered cantharides, 1 Ounce powdered resin, 4 Ounces lard oil. Melt the resin and lard together, with just sufficient heat to melt the THE HORSE, ITS DISEASES. 251 resin. Add the c-antlmrides iind stir until it sets together. Apply to the chest and throat if the case is desperate. If only irritation is desired the following will be good : Jso. 54. 4 Ounces lard oil, 1 Ounce turpentine, fl Drachms powdered cantharides. Shave the hair and apply b}' rubbing in. . For the body prepare a strong cloth as shown on preceding page. Get two pieces of Hannel three yards long and the full width of the fabric, also four pieces half a 3'ard long and a foot wide. Saturate one of the pieces with cold water, fold, and apply near the top of the back, equally on each side. Two of the smaller pieces are to be saturated with water and laid along the sides of the chest, fasten the jacket at the back so as to hold all snug. When the flannels are warm remove them and replace immcdiatelv with others. So continue for two or three hours as the case may l)e, and then allow them to remain until the animal is pretty well recovered. In very aggravated cases of congestion give every half hour until the pulse regains its tone, and then at longer intervals, reduced at last to once a day, the following : No. 55. 1 Ounce sulphuric ether, 1 Ounce laudanum, 1 Pint water. At the third dose discontinue if the effect required is not produced and give the following : No. 50. Ji Ounce of aconife, H Drachm of extract of belladonna. Rub down the belladonna ^\•ith an ounce of water. Mix. Give this every hour until the pulse is better, then withdraw the aconite and half the laudanum, and add half a drachm of belladonna to the drink tirst rec- ommended. (No. 5.5.) Let the food be thick gruel of oatmeal, boiled potatoes, and oatmeal and bran mashes. Give no dry, and especially no dirty food. When the animal begins to recover so as to eat whole grain, grass and hay, let them be especially freed from dust, and let them be given moistened, until the horse be perfectly recovered. If the disease is to terminate fatally, the pulse will grow (juick and tremulous. In drawing the breath the body will quiver, showing increas- ing difficulty and ]iain. The membrane of the nose becomes of a l)luish tint with frothy blood and purulent matter about the nostrils. The 17 252 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. respiration, will become more and more difficult, and the cough most distressing, and continuing until a quantity of fluid matter is ejected from the nostrils, only again and again to be resumed. Thus the animal suffers and dies, or else slowly recovers, remaining through life with the cough of incurable bi'ouchitis. A CODGH OF INCURABLE BRONCHITIS. III. Pneumonia, or Inflammation of the Limgs. This may follow acute congestion of the lungs, this being really its first stage, though often not noticed, by the ordinary observer, as such. But congestion may occur in its sudden and fatal form from overtaxing a fat horse, or one otherwise out of condition. Suppose from hard driving or hard riding he hangs heavily on the bit ; droops and staggers ; A CASE OP CONGESTION. if not pulled up he may fall ; or getting to the stable he stands with dilated nostrils, extended head, quick, convulsive or labored breathing, eyes staring and bloodshot, his nasal membrane deep red or blue, and THE HORSE, ITS DISEASES. 253 pulse rapid and weak ; if in puttino; the ear to the chest there is a loud respiratory murmur with crepitation (a peculiar slight cracking sound) ; if the heart, as felt behind the left elbow, is beating tumultuously ; if the limbs are cold, with perspiration breaking out on different parts of the body, there is no time to lose. In extreme cases bleed at once from the neck vein. The Iilood will be turl)id, dark, almost jelly-like in very bad cikses. Remove everything from the animal that may impede breathing, and allow him plenty of fresh air. Give an active stinuilant, the easiest to be had ; whisky, four or five ounces, or a tumbler full in a half pint of water. If tliis caimot be had give an ounce of ground ginger in a pint of water, or a half ounce of oil of turpentine in half a tumbler of water. Give also warm water injections to relieve the bowels, and also active hand rubbing of the legs to promote circulation to the surface, while the body is enveloped in l)lankets wrung out of hot water, and covered with diy ones. If the patient does not soon recover muler this treatment the case will be one of pneumonia. How to know it. — II Ihe disease docs not succeed to the symptoms we have just described, those of acute congestion, there will be a chill with shivering, and generally a dry cough, but deep as though from the chest. There will be a hot skin, indicating fever, quick-labored breathing, a full but oppressed pulse. The membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth will be red, and as the disease advances a yellowish or whitish matter will come from the nostrils. The horse will always stand with the legs wide apart ; so will the ox in bad cases, and the latter will moan Mith each ex- '^ ~ *;---- piration of the breath. Generally the ox will lie down. There will l)e crepitation of the lungs about the seat of the disease, and a more than normal murmur upon applying the ear. By percussion, striking the af- fected parts, there will be flinching and even groaning, but except at the seat of the disease the chest will re- tain its healthy sound, while the dis- eased parts will sound dull and solid. Thus, by the ear, and sounding bv the hand, the progress of the solidi- fication of the lungs may be followed from dav to dav. What to do. — Under the advice of a veterinary surgeon or physician, blood may be drawn. If none such are near, if the animal be young and 254 ILLISTIJATED STOCK DOCTOK. plrtliorR', blood iMiiy he drawn in tlio earlier stages. Phieo the animal in u loose box stall, with plenty of ventilation to the stable. If the bowels are costive, loosen them l)y injections of warm water. Bandage the limbs to keep them warm, and give the body such clothing as the neces- sities of the case seem to require. Let the food be simple, laxative and cooling. Bran mashes, boiled carrots, linseed meal, soft sweet hay. Do not check diarrh(ta or profuse staling ; it is an effort of nature to relieve the system. If there is fever, give ijlenty of water. If there is swift pulse and oppression of the lungs, give 20 to 30 drops of tincture of aconite in half a pint of water, or 1 to 2 drachms of tincture of veratrum in water every two hours. If under this treatment: the system becomes depressed, and it must be watched, discontinue. If the pulse falls — if there is trembling sweats, and a ijeculiar anxious expression in the eyes, discontinue. If there is great exliaustion, give moderate doses of whisky, but discontinue it unless good effects are seen. If there is much weak- ness, give two drachms each of camphor and of carbonate of ammonia, made into a ball with molasses and linseed meal, twice a day. In the case of considerable congestion, strong nmstard poultices will be indi- cated, to be applied to the chest ; or in extreme cases, blister. In the case of cattle, the same general treatment should be followed. Doul)le the (juantity of aconite and ammonia should be given. As a rule, cattle reijuire more than the horse ; and in giving medicine to cattle it must trickle down tlie throat, in order that it may not pass into the first stomach. In this disease s^miptoms must be watched. Good nursing is of espe- cial value, and as the animal begins to recover, give soft and easily digestible food, and assist the system if necessary with wine, ale or whisky in very light doses. IV. Consumption. This hereditary affection is much more common in the West than is generally supposed. More common in cattle and even in sheep and swine than in horses. In horses it is comparatively rare. The disease may be communicated to healthy animals b}^ inoculation, and by eating the raw fiesh of diseased animals, and it may also be superinduced in an- imals predisposed to the disease by local inflammation ; so also the germs may be received in milk, when the disease has invaded the mammary glands of tlie cow. Deep milking cattle with narrow horns, thin necks and narrow chests are especially predisposed to the disease. Tubercles may be developed in any i)art of the body, even, in rare cases, the bones and muscles ; the lungs, the spleen, the liver, the pancreas, the ovaries and the kidneys are the usual seats of the disease. THE MOUSE, ITS DISEASES. 255 Causes. — Badly constructed and illy ventilated stal)les ; movinir from a warm to a cold climate; exposure to eold and wet; or any thing which teiidii to lower the health in a predispo.sed animal will bring on the disease. How to Know it. — The disease ma}- be acute, carrying off tlie animal, sometimes, in a few weeks. It is generally chronic. The attack is insid- ious, tubercles often being formed before danger is suspected. There is a general dullness and loss of spirit, tenderness of the withers, back, loins, and of the walls of the chest. In cattle the nose will often be dr}', show- ing fever ; the ears and horns will be hot ; the skin loses its elasticity and pliant quality. The heat of the body may go up to 102 degrees ; the pulse is weak but accelerated, and there is a slight, dry, but not frequent cough ; the lymphatic glands about tiic throat may be enlarged and there may be swelling of the joints. If the chest is sounded there may be heard a murnmring sound hoarser than natural, if it be listened for just over the lower end of the wind pipe or in the chest. As the disease ad- vances, the eyes become more and more sunken, the skin becomes more and more hide bound, the hair is dry and erect. If the bowels are involved there will be more or less scouring, and if the lungs are prin- cipally affected tiiere will be swelling and lameness, labored breathing, exhaustion and profuse perspiration occurring upon the slightest exercise. There will be temporary windy distention of the stomach after feeding, and the appetite fails. The cough increases with rattling, the discharge at first light, increases. There is ci-epitatiou (a rattling or snapping sound) of the lungs, with a whirring or gurgling of the chest, and percu.s- sion gives a dull sound, with wincing when the parts covering them are bandied. So if tubercles arc formed in the liver, pancreas, or kidneys it will show the involvement of these parts. Recoveries are rare. Occasion- ally calcification of the tubercles occurs in animals naturally of a strong constitution, but the disease usuall}' ends in death. What to do. — A cure is scancly over accomplished. Tlie symptoms may be mitigated. The animal must have dry, j)ure air, jjlenty of sun- shine. Summer and AYinter, and be protected from sudden changes, and must be kept warm. The food should be light and digestible, good gi'ass in Summer and ground food with linseed meal and roots in Winter. In the early stages of the disease four to five drachms of gentian may be given daily in the food, at two or three doses, alternated with two drachms of sulphate of iron as a tonic. As an expectorant, and diaphoretic, give occasionally three to four ounces flowers of sulphur every other day, or once in tin-ee days, or to act on the skin and as a diuretic, the following: No. 57. 2 Ounces of flowers of sulphur. 2 To 3 three drachms powdered resin. 25G ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. Mix and ^/wc a dose daily until the effect is produced ; and afterwards as needed. As an antiseptic (to countei'act putresence) the funics of burning sulphur would he indicated. How to Prevent. — From what we have written the owner will under- stand the difficulty attending the treatment of this disease, and also its dangerous character in the case of cattle. The flesh and milk it is better not to use at all, although danger can be destroyed by the most thorough cooking. Using consumptive animals as breeders, or selling the milk of consumptive animals should not be thought of. Drainage, good pastur- age, a warm, sunny location for the stables and yards, care against all chronic and debilitating diseases, good, libei'al feeding, especially when animals are giving milk, the prompt removal of all consumptive animals from pastures and l)uildings, and the thorough fumigation of the latter is recommended. V. Pleurisy. Tills is an inflammation of the membrane lining of tlie cliest and covering of the lungs. It is common to all domestic animals, in exposed situations and those liable to rheumatism. The pleura is one of the sei'ous membranes, those lining close cavities, as the chest, abdomen and joints. In liealth they are insensible to us, but under the effects of inflanimatiou the most sensitive and painful possible. Since every inspiration and expiration of the breath moves these membranous linings upon each other, we can at once see the extreme anguish it must occasion. If relief is not soon olitained the disease quickly ends in death. How to know Pleurisy. — There will l)e some alternations of shivering followed b}' heat of the skin, sometimes extending to the limbs. There will be localized sweating and congestion of the muscles. If confined to one side the foot of that side will be extended. The animal will look at the flank, lie down, rise again, and there will be general uneasiness indi- cative of pain. The pulse will be cjuick and hard, seeming to strike the finger under the compression. There will be inclination to cough, but which the animal will fear to exercise. The cough is not always present, but when so, is always suppressed, short and hacking. The l)reathing will l)e hurried, l)ut apparently confined to the abdominal muscles, the inspiration short and checked, but the expiration slow and prolonged. In pneumonia and Vironcliitis there is often intense redness of the nose, in pleurisy less. There is no nasal discharge and the heat of the breath is not so great as in pneumonia. After effusion of serum (fluid matter or water) into the cavity of the chest ensues, which may be in 24 or 3fi hours, the pulse becomes soft, and the animal seems better. If THE HOUSE, ITS DISEASES. 257 the effusion is re-absorbed the animal will recover. If not, the pulse loses its full tone, and again becomes hard and quick. The breathing is again difficult and attended with lifting of the flank and loin. The nose and head is extended, the nostrils are dilated, with signs of suffocation. The pulse at length becomes weak, thrilling at each beat until at length the animal wavei's, staggers, falls and dies. An attack of pleurisy is often taken by those unacquainted with the disease for spasmodic colic. This error, if made, will probably be fatal to the animal affected. In colic the pulse is natural at the commence- ment, and the paroxysms of pain are of short duration. In i)leurisy the arteiy is thin, the pulsations seem to strike the fingers, but the stroke is short. The pain is continuous, the body hot, but the feet generall}^ cold. What to do. — The same general care as in bronchitis and inflammation of the lungs is to be observed. If there is a chill, wrap the horse com- pletely in blankets wrung out of hot water, and cover with dry ones. When removed, do so a little at a time, rubbing dry, and re-clothe warmly. If taken in its earliest stage, give : No. 58. !j Ounce laudanum, M Pint linseed oil. ^ This will often prove effective ; if not, repeat the dose in a few hours. For an ox, give double this dose. If the symptoms increase, apply a strong mustard poultice to the side of the chest, or a. blister. No. 53 may be applied to the chest. The bowels should be kept moderately open. If effusion of water takes place, give drachms of acetate of potassa once or twice a day in a pail of water. The following will be found excellent in place of the last named remedy, if there is weakness and a rapid pulse (70 to 80), and scanty urine: No. 59. }i Ounce tincture of chloride of iron, ?i pail water. Give as a drink twice daily. The effusion of water not yielding, the chest may be tapped with a trochar. Divide the skin with a lancet, between the eighth and ninth rib and near the lower end. Be careful the air does not enter. Draw off ouly a part of the water if it produces a shock. In this, one should have the advice of a veterinarian. Repeat in 24 to 48 hours. The ani- mal should be kept u]i with suljiiiatc of iron, two drachms, twice a day, in water, with stimulants and easily digestible and nutritious food. It is absolutely necessary, after effusion of water has taken place, that the urine should be passed freely to assist absorption. To this end the followinir will be indicated : 258 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. No. 60. 1 Drachm iodide of potassium, 1 Drachm carbonate of ammonia, ^ Ounce powdered gentian. Give twice a day as a drencli in a quart of Avater, or as ti ball mixed with liuseed meal aud molasses. VI. Colds. Colds in horses, as in the Immau family, arc usually the result of im- proper care or undue exposure. Taking a horse from a hot, illv ventil- ated stable, and allowing him after driving to become cold, is one prolific cause of colds. There are so many means of causing this disability that it wonhl bo impossible to enumerate them. If the attack is light, all that ^\ ill 1)(" ni rcssary will be to clothe the animal warmly and relax the bowels wiih a w.uni nia-h, and give rest for a few days. Sometimes, however, the attack is prolonged and severe. The appetite ceases, the coat rough- ens, parts of the bod}' arc hot and othei's cold, the nu'nil)rane of the nose at first dr}' and pale, with the facial sinuses clogged, at length termi- nates in a discharge more or less great, but with- out improving the health of the horse. What to do. — Keep the animal warndy clothed, in ample box stall, with plenty of bedding. If A house's HEAD Willi I .Li>. the cold does not give way in a few days after the first attack, and the symptoms are as we have intlicated, or if the membranes of the nose are dry, nuike a sack of coarse gunny cloth, large enough so it may tit the nose properly, l)ut en- larging to the bottom, and two feet or more long, with a slit covcri'd with a flap in the side, half way down. Put into the bag half a peck or more of coarse pine sawdust with which half an ounce of spirits of turpentine has been thoroughly mixed. Place the bag on the nose as shown in the cut on next page. Turn two gallons of hot water in the slit, and every twenty minutes repeat, allowing the bag to renuiin on an hour each time, use this six times a day until the discharge begins. AVhen water runs freely from the nose, three times dailv will be enough. Let the food be good scalded oats or other like food, with mashes if the bowels ax"e constipated. An animal with this kind of a cold should not be put to steady work until entirely recovered. The result of protracted cold is great weakness, and work before recovery often leads to disease of the air passages and luniis. If there is much fever give the following: THK IIOKSK, ITS DISKASES. 2")9 No. 61. 2 Praehms spirits of nmmonia, 2 Draihnis ether. Mix ;in(l i;iv(> in a liltic i:rucl, (say 1-i pint, ) twice a day. If the throat i.s involved poultice it witli linseed meal in which a little mustard has been mixed. When the symptoms give way and improvement begins, or if the appetite is not good prepare the following: No. 62. 2 Ounces powdered gentian, 2 Uimcus carbonate of ammonia. Form this into a mass, with linseed oil and raolasse.s, divided into eight parts and give one twice each day. If the cold becomes chronic it ends in catarrh. Wheu thei'e are catarrhal symptoms and sore throat give the following : No. 6.3. 1 Draclim extract of belladonna, 2 Drachms ipecac, 2 Drachms powdered camphor, i Drachms nitre. Mix into a ball with linseed oil, and give one every Hiree or four hours. In inveterate or chron- ic cokl thi-re is discharge, and swelling of the lym- phatic gland, ^^'c have already shown how glan- ders ni;i\' lie known. AVc give a cut show- ing I he enhirgement of llic lynipiialic ulaiul ill chronic '■old. In ca.se the iiorsc gets cold it is better that he be ex- amined by a competent nose bao mn ..teaming . . * IIUKSE \\ iril CULU, ">"-' J-'»' vetei-mary s u r g e o n, (not by a (juack,) in order to be sure the disease is not glanders. VII. Enlarged Glands— Goitre. There are various glands in the throat that arc subject to enlargement from diseti.se, and which remain permanent after the disease is jjassed. This result is generally more unsightly as a lilemish than as a real disa- bility. Goitre, however, is a disease peculiar to some limestone regions, producing in animals as in man a swelling of the thyroid gland. In some portions of the Ea.st it is (juite prevalent, producing extensive enlarge- OK THE TUIIUAT SWOLLE.V. 1— The enlarged lymphatic within 2l)0 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. nicnts in lambs. It also attai-ks cattle and swine. In solid-hoofed ani- mals, as in the horse, there may be a swelling on either side ; in others it is in the center just below the roots of the jaws. For all enlargements of the glands, tincture of iodine will disperse the swelling if it may be j3ossible. In bronchocele or goitre, rainwater only should be given to drink ; iodine in doses of ten grains daily may be given on an empty stomach, and the swelling may be painted with the tincture. This to be persisted in for months. Another remedy that has been successful, is the following : No. 64. >i Drachm iodide of potassium, 1 Drachm liquor potasss, >i Pint rainwater. Mix, and give as a dose night and morning, using the tincture of iodine on the goitre. Vin. Swelled Throat, or Laryngitis. Causes. — Foul stables or any cause producing colds, catarrhs, etc. It is sometimes divided professionally into laryngitis and phar^aigitis, but practically they are one — inflammation of the air and food passages of the neck, generally accompanied with cough, difiiculty in swallomng and fever. How to Know it. — The animal is dull. The head is carried in a peculiar manner, as though the neck were stiff. Thei'e is a short, frequent cough, the breath is hurried, the pulse full and throbbing, and the mem- branes of the nasal passages are high colored, almost scarlet. There will be a hoarse sound, approaching to a grunt, at each breath taken, if the ears are held against the animal's wind-pipe. Externally there is more or less enlargement over the region of the lar^nix, the enlargement of the windpipe next the throat. Handling the throat seems to produce extreme pain. What to do. — Reduce the pulse at once by doses of tincture of aconite in a wine glass full of water, repeated every half hour. Place the steaminii-bag on the nose, as recommended for colds. Keep it em- ployed almost constantly, for there may be danger of strangulation. If the steaming seems to distress the animal, omit it, or use it only occa- sionallv, and soak soft hay in boiling water and apply to the throat as hot as can be borne. Bandage and fasten with the eight-tailed bandage previously described. Or, ferment the throat with cloths wrung out of hot mustard water. If there is difficulty hi swallowing, put a tea- spoonful of the following well back on the tongue several times a day : THE HORSE, ITS DISEASES. 2(51 No. 65. 1 Ounce powdered guaiacum, 4 Ounces i)0\vdered chlorate of potash, )i Pint of molasses. Do not in administering an}i;liing, force the jaws wide apart. Act as gently as possible. If the animal is feverish and the throat hot and dry, give three times a day, in a pint of cold linseed tea, the following: No. 6(j. 1 Draclim powdered ipecac, ^ 1 Ounce solution ol acetate of ammonia In case the disease becomes chronic, the following excitant to the throat will be indicated : No. 67. 1 I'art oil of turpentine, 1 I";irt solution of ammonia, 1 I'art olive oil. ^lix, shake the bottle l)efore using, and rul) well in on the throat every day. If this does not relieve, apply the following blister: No. 68. 1 Draclim crotnn oil, 1 Drachm sulphuric ether, 10 Drachms alcohol. Mix, and apph' by rubbing with considerable friction. A UORSB WITU TllK TUROAT BLISTERED. A BETON IN THE THROAT OF A HORSE. When the s^'mptoms become more favorable, by the membranes of the nose becoming pale or more natural in color : by the cough becoming more free, or louder, easier and with less violent breathing, and by the appeai-ance of a white and thick discharge from the nostrils, put a seton in the throat, (see cut,) and allow nothing but moist and succulent food. Move the seton daily until healthy pus (matter) is formed. Then cut one of the knots and withdraw it, and as the horse recovers allow drier food — hay and grain — 1)ut that entirely fi-ee from dust. See that no stones or grit are in the oats, and soak for five or six hours before feed- ing. In this, as in diseases where the throat is more or less sore, the horse may quid his food. This is not a symptom of laryngitis as is some- 202 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. times supposed, but knowu to all diseases where there is obstruction in swallowing. IX. Chronic Cough. There ai-e many cases of long standing or chronic cough. Cough is an attendant upon so many disorders of the air passages, from Ihc most trivial difficult}' in teething to glan- ders, that a cough should not be overlooked in the diagnose of diseases. And so many diseases leave the patient with chronic cough, that its symptomatic stages should be care- fully observed. Coughing tends generally to a thickening of the membranes. When the membrane covering the larynx becomes thickened, and consequently morbidly sensitive, the cough becomes fixed or what is termed chronic. The sense of smell in the nose is peculiarly acute, and the membranes of the nose and throat, as a matter of course, are fully as sensitive. We have said, "the limbs and feet are half the horse : the lungs the test of his endurance." Yet nine in ten of the stables in which horses are kept are offensive to man and irritate the air passages when first entered. Yet the sense of smell in man is not very acute, except in a few directions. A stable therefore, offensive to man is not a fit place for horses to be kept, where the lungs constitute one of the principal excellencies of the animal. ..ii;fihiii"'Miiiii|| <- ijOfi The cough which accompanies the several diseases of which this vol- ume treats, will be described in the treatment of the diseases themselves. In this article chronic cough will be treated, the cough that is alwaj's present in eating, drinking and inhaling a cold draught of air, or from THE IIOR8E, ITS DISEASES. 2(33 any cause of excitement, reijuirinjr long and careful nursing for tlieir cure. The dironic cougii, resulting from colds, is hard and motallic. For this, tiip following will he good, to he ruhhcd on the throat and around the windijipe, once in ten days : No. 69. ir> Drops crntfin oil, 1 Ounce ylyceriue, Give twice a day, for a week, the following : No. TO. 40 Drops tliluteil prussic acid, 1 Ounce niter, 1 Ounce bicarbonate of soda, 1 (Juart -water. If this does not give relief, the following, valuahlc for irritable chronic cough, the result of influenza or sore throat, may he used : No. 71. 1 Ounce Fowler's solution of arsenic, 1 Ounce chlorate of potash, 1 Druchiu bellaUona. Ciivc once a day in water or gruel and note results, ceasing after a week fU" ten days, if no improvement ensues. For cough and sore throat, when tirst \ered, take: No. 7J. 1 Drachm powdered camphor, 1 Drachm extract belladona, 2 Ounces sweet spirits niter. Give in a pint of cold gruel three times a day. Tar-water is well known to he valuable in obstinate coughs. Give every morning as a drink, the following : No. 73. 1 Drachm powdered squills, >i Pint tar-water, yi Pint lime-water. If the cough is violent, use as a sedative, the following: No. 74. 1 Drachm dilute prussic acid, 2 Drachms powdered opium, 4 Drachms niter. Mix in a pint of linseed tea ai.d give from five to six table-spoonfuls three times a day. E.xpectorants, calculated to loosen the cough and restore the secretions to their natural conditions, do not act so kindly as could be wished on farm animals. For a long standing cough, try the following : 2(34 ILLISTKATED STOCK DOCTOR. No. 75. 1 Orai'lim ntoes, 1 Dniolim squills, 2 Uriiclims gum ammonii\i-um. Mix into ;i ball with meal and give once a day in the morning. If the cough is irritahle and easily excited, and the bowels natural, omit the aloes and substitute for it one drachm of opium. For a cold settled in the chest, with cough, give every morning the following : No. 76. 1 Drachm ipecac, 1 Drachm liquorice powder, '; Ounce nitrate of ammonia. Add tar, the size of a hazel-nut and mix with molasses to form a ball. All coughs resulting from indigestion or worms, and some of those resulting from irritation of the passages of the throat, are often cured by turning the horse out in Summer where he may have free range on the prairie, where resin weed grows plentifully. A long standing cough, iiowever, requires time, and the operator must use judgment in adminis- tering medicine. If he be a veterinary surgeon he will make up his mind from various symptoms. The farmer should endeavor carefully to do the same. X. Malignant Epidemic. Under this head the older veterinarians were accustomed to term several diseases that sweeping over a country became unusually prevalent or fatal. Thus Dr. Layard and Ohmer long ago wrote of malignant epidemic, probably a severe form of catarrhal fever, or epidemic catarrh, and also known as influenza distemper, malignant eioidemic, nmrrain, pest, etc. Youatt describes a malignant disease occurring in 1714 in England, imported from the continent and destroying iu the course of a few months 70,000 horses and cattle. Professor Bruipion, of Tm-iu, says of this disease, that it commenced with loss of appetite, staring coat, a wild and wandering look, and a staggering from the very commencement. The horse would continually lie down and get up again, as if tormented by colic ; and he gazed alternately at both Hanks. In moments of compar.. ative ease there were universal twitchings of the skin and spasms of the limbs. The temperature of the ears and feet was variable. If there happened to be about the animal any old wound or scar from setoning or firing, it opened afresh and discharged a quantity of thick and black blood. Very shortly afterward the flanks, which were quiet bcfoi-e, began to heave, the nostrils were dilated, the head extended for breath. The THE HORSE, ITS DISFASES. 265 horse had, by this time become so weak that, if he lay, or foil down, he could rise no more ; or, if he was up, he would stand trembling, stagger- ing, and threatening to fall every moment. The mouth was dry, the tongue white and the breath fetid ; a discharge of yellow or fetid matter proceeded from the nose and fetid matter from the anus. The duration of the disease did not exceed twelve or twenty-four hours ; or if the animal lingered on swellings of the head and throat and sheath and scrotum followed, and he died exhausted, or in convulsions. Black spots — extravasation — were found in cellular membi-aiic, in the tissue of all the membranes, and on the coats of the stomach. The mesenteric and lymphatic glands were engorged, black and gangrenous. The meml)rane of the nose and phar>'nx were highly injected, the lungs were tilled with black and frothy blood, or with black and livid spots. Ihc brain and its meninges were unaltered. XI. DiffijDulty of Breathing. From M'hatever source this may arise, whether from some disorgan- ization, or change in the lungs, or obstruction in the air passages ; what- ever the obstruction be, it must first be traced to its cause before good can be done. This is sometimes not easy to do ; the owner must act with judgment. Thick wind often follows pneumonia, and is caused by closing or obliteration (hepatization) of a poi'tion of the lungs. If it does not pass away after the disease which preceded it is entirely cured, it may be mitigated by feeding the animal on sound oats, entirely freed from dust, giving but little hay, that moistened, and avoiding any food that is dusty, flashes and carrots in Winter sufficient to keep the bowels prop- erly open, and turning on prairie pasture in Summer will be indicated. Roaring has rendered nearly useless many valuable horses in England ; in tiii^ I'nited States horses are not subject to it. It is said to bo pro- duced by obstruction in some part of the respirator)' canal, most often in the larynx and ne.xt in the trachea. Thus chronic cough sometimes ter- minates in roaring. In this country heaves is the most usual termination. XII. Broken "Wind ; Bellows ; Heaves. Causes. — Broken wind is the result both of disease of the lungs and violent exertions. Feeding on dusty hay and grain arc prolific sources of tlu' disease. Where no clover hay is used, the disease is i"are. It is mainly confined to horses that have arrived at maturity. A horse fed for days and weeks on dusty hay, and then driven hard, will exhibit heaves, unless his lungs and digestion are extraordinary. This disease is usually known in the South under the name of bellows, and in the North as heaves, either of them expressive of the disease. •JM ILLUiSTRATKD STOCK DOCTOR. How to know it. — Hi-okon wind i.s nearly allied to asthma in man, but i.s more continuous in its action and le.ss liable to occur in paroxysms. At cacli l)rcath there will be a two-fold motion of the liank, caused by a falling in of the abdominal walls, causing the flank to lift, then after a ])crc('i)tiblc interval a rising of the hack part of the belly assists in freeing the lungs of air. There is a short, dry cough, sometimes almost inaudi- ble, followed by wiiirring. AVhen the horse is moved suddcsnly, or drivtMi iiard, when a draught of cold water is given, or the animal is suddenly brouglit into the cold air, the spells will occur. Indigestion is almost always present, and as a consequence of flatulency of the l)0wels. The ap])etite is ravenous and unnatural ; eating the litter given for bedding, is one of the many exiiibitions of it. What to do. — There is no permanent cure for this disability. The s^■nll)l, and not more than G to 8 pounds of hay, daily, and this given at night, the provender being confined as much as possible to grain ami grass in Sinnnier, and grain, bran-mashes and car- rots or potatoes in AVinter. This will enalile many broken-winded horses to do a fair amount of work with coniiJarative comfort. In any event, a horse inclined to be lliick-winded in any degree, sliould never bo tightly t'hccked up, nor above all, lie driven by jjulling in tlie head, causing undue bearing either of I lie ciiili or snalHe on the jaw. The animal should be allowed to hold its head ill the easiest jjosition, since its work must bo nec- essarily slow. One of the most usual palliative means of the animal a])pearing for a time sound, is to give 10 to 15 grains of arsenic a day for a M'eck or ten days. A better prepai-ation to give relief — afterwards, the animal to be turned out on clean, short ixrass, is the following: BIT llKAIllNt; L 1 ( )unee Fowler's solution of arsenic, 1 Drachm extract of belladouua, a Drachm tincture of ginger. Give once a day, in the morning, in one pint of water, and continue for four to eight M'oeks, as eireumstances may dictate. THE IIOKM.;. ITS DISEASES. 26'; XIII. Influenza. This epizootic, which first and hist has lioeii provaleut in nosirly all countries wiiciv the iiorse is used, is, as to its orifjin, hut little under- stood. Its .symptoms, however, are well known, hut these may he complicated hy intlainmatory synijjtoms of jiU the air jrassages ; also b}^ rheumatic swellings, paralysis, dolii-inni and inllannuadon of liic eyes. How to know it. — The attack may he sudden. There will he stupor and weakness, tlic head will he held low, the eyes dull and half closed, the i^ait will he weak, with cracking of the joints sometimes. There will l)e no appetite, and fever ; the mouth hot and clammy, the howels costive, v.itli scanty urine ; the pulse quick and weak, hut sometimes hard ; the memhrano of the nose may ho pink, or a deep leaden hue ; the cough will he deep and harsh; tli(^ coat rough and staring ; the skin tender and sometimes trcmhlin;^', and the ears and limhs alternately hot and cold. Upon applying the car to the lungs crepitation will be heard, or some- times a harsh blowing sound. As the disease progresses, and the nose discharges a white, yellowish or greenish water, the animal may get bet- t.'r; but M-hen the lungs are seriously involved, the .symptoms will in- crease. .Vs a rule there is constijjation, .altliough purging is sometimes jiresent . CONFUtMb; What to do. — Place flic animal in a well littei-cd stall, free from drafts of air. Do not depend upon strong physic. The cure must be effected by watching the symptoms and combating them. If there is costiveness keej) the bowels open by injections of two wine glasses full of linseed oil. Relief must be had by means of stimulants and tonics. Good nursing nuast be constant, with clothing enough to keep the animal wsirni. .\ good tonic and stimulant is : is 2t)S ILLL'STUATED .STOCK DOCTOR. 2 Oz of gentian, 2 Oz. ourboiiate ammonia. Form in eight doses; luid give one night and morning. If the cough is distressing prepare the following: No. 73. a Oz. extraot belladonna, 2 Drachms powdered opium, 3 Drachms camphor, 2 Oz. liquorice, >^ Pint molasses. Mix thoroughly and spread a table-s|)oonful on the tongue twice a day. If, with the eough, there is sore throat and catarrh, j)repare the following : >'o. 80. 20 Graii>8 iodine, 1 Drachm iodide of potassium, 2 Ounces sweet spirits of niter, , 1 Pint water gruel. Give this as a dose twice a day. If the animal should begin to improve it will be about the fifth day. Sometimes recovery is complicated by various disabilities. If there is dropsy or swelling of the legs or sheath, prepare the following : No. 81. 1 Oz. iodide of potassium, 1 Oz. carbonate of ammonia, 1 Oz. powdered gentian. Form into eight balls and give one morning and evening. If a spasmodic cough follows the attack the following will 1)6 indicated : No. 82. 1 Drachm extract of belladonna, 1 Draclim chloroform, 10 Drachms alcohol. Mix in a pint of gruel and let it trickle slowly down the throat, in order to produce a full local effect. As recovery ensues, the food should be nourishing and easily digested. The animal should be induced to take food during the disease, especially in the form of nourishing gruel. When the pulse changes, and especially when it loses its wiry chai-acter ; when the discharge from the nose becomes steady and copious, a ])int of ale occasionally is a good stimu- lant. In any event, good, easily digested food should be given, and the animal must be nursed until entirely recovered. XIV. Spasmodic AcHon of the Glottis and Epiglottis. This may b(^ occasioned rarely by food sticking in the iT?soj)hagus. It is sometimes attendant upon cuttint;' tiic teeth. Tn tlie latter case the TIIK ll()i;si;. ITS DISKASKS. liCi) gums (should he cut. Si)asiii of tlic glottis passes away hy a peculiar crowing inspiration. It is so rare in iiorses that it will only he necessary to say that its cause nnist he looked to in the general health of the animal. This disease is generally confined to yoinig aninnds, and is more rare in colts than in calves or landjs. Causes. — Being confined to damp, low lying ground, or in cold, damp, or much e.vposed localities. How to know it. — The first i^ymptom.s are like those of .sore throat. Tliere will he a dry M'hirring hreathing and a hard metallic cough. Sometimes it will be heard only when spasm of the larj'ux comes on. As the disease progresses the fever increases, the temperature of the hody running to 107 degrees, and the pulse from ninety to over one hundred. White films or pellicles (albuminous false nunnbranes) form in the throat, which come away frcnn time to time, or if not, the animal dies of suffocation. What to do. — Place the animal where it nniy have free air but no drafts, and where the temperature nuiy be kept comfoitaiile. Allow sutficient clothin|i;. Give as a laxative twelve ounces (ilaul)er salts dissolved in a (juart of warm water. As an antispasmodic give two or three drachm doses of laudanum every hour in a decoction of nnirsh nndlow. In the early stage of the disease warm fomentations persistently applied may scatter the disease. If later, use the following : No. 82. 1 Part oil of turpentine, 1 Part lard oil, 1 Part solution of nnimonia. Rub well on the affected jiarts of the throat. If the membrane in the throat do not give way, and there is increased difBculty in breathing use the following : No. 83. 10 Grains nitrate of silver. 1 Ounce rainwater. Mix and swab the throat well over the forming membranes, by means of a small piece of soft sponge tied over the end of a s7nooth, flexible piece of whalebone and saturated with the nitrate of silver. In the case of foals and calves, only half the doses named must be used, and for lambs not more than one quarter. 27(t Il.l.CSTKAlKI) STOCK DOCTOR. XV. Bleeding from the Nose. This often occurs from various injuries to the mucus menihrimo of the nostrils, from liiird pulling up hill, too tight ;i collar, and from other causes, cspci'ially if the animal he full of bloo'd. In these eases, the hleeding is from one nostril and in drops, su'eompanied by sneezing. If t lie bleeding comes from the lungs, it Mill be bright red and frothy, and there will be a cough. If from the stomach, it will l)e black, clotted, sour and accompanieil l>y retching. What to do. — In simple cases tii' the heail n\) as liigh as |)ossible, blow strong alum water from a tube into the nostril at each inspiration, and if obstinate, plug the nostril with pledgets of tow. (ii\-e internally one scruple of acetate of lead, to be followed in half an hour with another if necessary. In the ease of an ox, two scruples may be given at a dose. If both nostrils are involved, and the How is continuous, only one nos- tril must be stopped at a time, unless trat'lieotomy is performed, since the horse cannot breathe through the mouth. The ox, however, can do so. Therefore both nostrils may be iiluggi>d if necessary. In performing this operation (tracheotomy), on the horse, sometimes necessary in various ol)struetions of tlu^ throat and windpipe, a ring of the windpipe should not be severed, but only i)arts of two. That is, a circular flap should be excised. It should alway.s be performed by a veterinary surgeon, except in a case where death from strangulation is imminent. In this case do not hesitate, take the lancet or sharp knife and, holding the horse's head high, cut in a foot above the l)reast-bone and in the center of the neck, doirn to and into the windpipe. The open- ing through the skin should be about two and a half inches long or even three inches, and tiirough the windpipe from one-half to thrcc-([uarters of an inch. If a surgeon performs the operation he will bi- provided with a tracheotomy tube ; if not. any smooth metal lube which may be inserted will do, as the spout of a tea-kettle; this nmst be held to its place by proper fastenings, and until the wound is healed the horse must not be allowed to put his head to the ground. XVI. Strangles. This is a disease but little known in America. Our distemper takes its place. It is thus described in English works : It usually occurs in young horses, highly-bred horses being more subje<'t to it than cold blooded ones. When the animal is "breeding strangles," there is a gen- eral though slight indisposition. After a few days the neck becomes stiff, the throat swells, the tumor being hard, hot and tender. A dis- THE HOUSE, ITS DISEASES. 271 charter from the nose takes nlaco, the throat hcconu'S sore, the hreathiiii)ethi' is jioiic, and the animal stands with half-elosed eyes. At lenjith the tumor ijeeomes ripe enougii and is opened, as is usual in distemper. It is more than i)robal)le that the dis- ease is really the same, and that stranj to 1 Ouiu'c of lamlanum, 4 to 6 Dnicliins tiloes, I Pint hot WMlci-. SECOND STAGE OF SPASMODIC COLIC. Pulverize the aloes and dissolve in the hot water. Cool as quickly as possible and add the laudanum, and give as a dose. If there is abund- ant formation of gas, give the ft)llowing promptly : hi Ounce pnwilcrpd aloes. 1 Ounce aromatic ammonia, 1 Ounce siilpliuric ether, 1 >i Ounce warm water. THE HORSE, ITS DISEASES. 275 Mix and give at once. Anotlior colii- diTncli in good repute is the following : No. 88. 4 Dracliras aloes, 1 Ounce sulpliuric ether, 1 Ounce lauUiinuni. OF SPASMUDIC COLIC. Mix, pulverize the aloes in a pint and a half of hot water; cool, add the otlier ingredients and give immediately. If relief is not obtained, give as a second dose the following: No. 89. H Ounce sulphuric ether, >iOunce l;iiiil;inun], }i Ounce spirits r.Muphor, }a Ouuci: L.-M 111.- ol peppermint. Mix in a pint of gruel and turn down. The symptoms in cattle are uneasiness, shuffling of tlie hind legs when standing. When lying down they will kick with the outer limhs. There will be moaning and twisting of the tail. The same treatment is advised as for the horse, except that one pint of linseed oil should replace tiie aloes. Give the doses by allowing the liquid to trickle down the throat vei"y slowly. The doses should be double that of the horse. Swine should have castor oil one ounce in place of the linseed oil ; and sheep three-quarters of an ounce. Otherwise the doses should be about one-quarter to one-tifth those ordered for the horse. Flatulent Colic. — This discasp is dangerous, and is generally the result of a chronic distension of the liowels, with tendency to inflammation and rupture of the coats. It may be the result of some other disease, or appear as a consequence of the spasmodic form ; or, may be produced by the same causes as those assigned to the acute form. 27t) ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. How to know it. — riio expression of pain is constant hut not so acute. The pulse is rapid and feeble, with difficult l)reathing ; the feet and ears are cold : the abdomen is tense and swollen, and it sounds drum-like when struck. The animal is weak and sometimes delirious. The intes- tines are painful (sore) as is shown bj- the cautious manner of lying down : if, indeed, the liorse lies down at all. What to do. — Be careful a])out giving purgatives. Act bj injections of soapsuds and oil of turpentine ; removing the contents of the impacted rectum with the well oiled hand, (live the fol]o^ving injection: No. 90. H Pint oil of tiii-|icnliiic. 1 Quart ol soajiMuls. noIISE DYING OF FLATULENT COLIC. Repeat in lialf an hour if ncccssarv. If there is great distension puncture llie large intestine, or, where the sound when tapping with the TlIK IKJUSK, ITS DISKASES. 277 knuckles is most drum-like, plunge in ii trot-har and allow the gas to escape through the canula. Give the following according to circumstances : No. 91. 'a lo 1 (imice l.nulanuiu, 2 lo 4 Ouiu'cs tincture nssnfoctii';!. yUx m a pint of gruel. If the colic is tlic result of disease and exhaustion, with much swelling of the belly, try the following: No. 92. }, Ounce dilnrate of potash, ii Ounce sulpburic other, >i I'int water. To t)e given in a half pint of gruel. Later in this disease when it is required to act moderately on the bowels the following will be found useful : No. 9:i. « Ounce chlorinatcil soihi, i to :) Ounces aloo. Powder the aloes and tlissolve the whole in a pint of warm water, and give ^when cool. During recover}', the health of the animal must be attended to. Give easily digested food ; avoid large draughts of water, and over feeding. Give good grooming ; blanket if necessaiy, and keep the circulation active by hand rubbing of the l)ody and limbs. III. The Bot. The female bot ^y, ^L'sfrus-erjui, is too well known to need description. They lay their eggs on the legs, flanks, and other portions of the horse's body easily reached. The animal in licking its body takes the egg into its mouth and being swallowed they hatch, and the young fasten them- selves by means of their hooks to the mucous membrane of the stomach. Here they live and grow and the next season become mature and are passed from the animal, and undergo their transformation to the perfect fly in the earth. So long as the animal is in perfect health they do little if any harm. But in case of disease or insufficient food thev become troublesome. Or if they exi.st in great numbers when nearly or full grown and they are passing from the animal, thev sometimes cause severe injury by attaching thcMiiselves to the sensitive lining of the bowels. This irritation is not easily distinguished from other forms of indigestion or colic. In the Spring when tlie animal is hungry, and there is indication of in- testinal difficulty, they may i)e suspected. If the horse turns up his upper lip, and if the edges of the tongue are red and fiery looking, it 278 ILLlTSTHATEl) f^TOCK DOCTOH. will be evidence of their existence. At this time physic will hasten them away. A usual remedy is to give once a da\' for three days, 1 drachm sulphate of copper, to be followed at the end of the time with 4 drachms of Barbadoes aloes, and repeat at the end of a week if necessary. Or the following will be found safe and effective : No. 94. 1 hi Drachms calomel, 1 }i Dratlnus powdered eaviii, 2 Draelims powdered assafalida, 30 Drops oil of male shield lern. Make into a ball with molasses and linseed meal, to be given at night and followed next morning with 4 drachms of aloes. In th(> South, Azedarach (pride of China) is grown around stal)les for its supposed efficacy in destroying bots by being eaten by horses. K so, it can only be while the bots are quite young. Since, after acquiring some age and becoming fastened to the stomach, they resist alike, strong acids, alkalies, irrespirable gases, narcotics and mineral poisons. Colics, etc., arising from bots, may be treated by anti-spasmodics as given under that head. As a preventive against bots, keep the long hairs of the jaws, breast and fore-limbs trimmed close, and apply a little oil daily; and brush off any eggs that may be found. Animals kept in sta- bles and well groomed are seldom troubled wdth bots. ffiSTRDS HKMORRHOiDALis. 2.-Eggs magniflca 3.-TheBot. 4.-The Crysalis 5.— The male 11) . Another bot fly ( GiJftfrus Hemorrhoidalis) resembles the oestris equi quite closely, and deposits its eggs upon the lips and upon the hairs under the jaw. Dropping into the food, they are swallowed and fasten to the stomach in dense clusters. The larvse are somewhat longer in pro- portion to their bulk than the species equi. When ready to pass away they sometimes cause irritation of the bowels and anus by sticking there. The same means must be used for this species as for the other. Intestinal worms. — There are various intestinal worms that inhabit the THE HORSE, ITS DISEASES. 279 horse, at least three species of tape worms and seven of round worms. The o.\ lias two tape worms and seven round worms. The sheep one tape worm and seven round worms. A good vermifuge for tape worm is the following : No. 95. '4 OuiKo powdered aloes, '.I Ounce jjowdered assafoetida, 1 Ounce oil of turpentine, 1 Ounce sulphuric ether. Mix the two first in hot water and when cold add the turpentine and ether, and give in gruel as a drench. If the animal is weak and out of condition, give an ounce of areca nut, and follow with nourishing food. For round worms, if suspected, give 4 drachms of aloes, and if worms are found in the dung, give immediately on an empty stomach the following : No. 96. 1 Drachm oil of male fern, 2 Ounces oil of turpentine, >a Pint liu^ccd oil. Follow this for three days with a dose of 1-2 drachm sulphate of copper. For fhread-worins in the rectum give an injection every two days for a week, of the following : No. 97. 2 Drachms oil of turpentine. 1 Pint linseed oil. Inject every day for a week, a purgative dose to precede the first injec- tion. A strong decoction of wormwood is also a good vermifuge used as an injection. IV. Inflammation and Rupture of the Colon. This disability is usually the result of colic. If through constriction of one part and expansion of another rupture actually occurs, the animal will' die. The colon is the largest division of the intestinal canal. Be- ginning at the ca'cran, (the commencment of the large intestine) it ascends by the right kidney, passes under the hollow part of the liver to the spleen, thence descends by the left kidney and passes in the form of an S to the upper part of the as sacrum. It thence runs straight to the anus and this part of it is called the rectum. How to know Rupture. — The sides of the flanks will be distended, there will be fever and licat, and the animal will give evidence of its severe suf- fering. The pulse will be hard, wiry and quick, the belly tender, the 280 II.H'STHATKI) STOCK l)()( TOU. fill's cold; tlu' jmiii will lio constant, ;uui modicinc will increase it. There will be great and rapitll}' increased weakness. The syniptoiri.s are directly opposed to those in colic. What to do. — III the first stages of tiie disease give the following, in lime water, every hour or two until llircr oi' four doses are given : No. 1)8. 21) Drop.-i liiutun' of aconite, ^ Ouiiee huulaiiiuu. Ill very severe cases a hypoderniic injection of 40 grains of chloral hydrate, to be at once follow-ed by one of 8 grains of morphia, to be repeated in an hour; this, however, must be ])crforiiied by a com[)etcnt surgeon. The following may be given by the mouth: No. 99. 10 (trains morphia, 1 Ounce chloral liydr.ite. Give in sweetened water, and repeat every two hours until three or four doses arc given, or until the symptoms abate. Extensive fomentations to the bowels will be beneficial. This may be done by folding a blanket inside a rubber cloth which is fastened over the back Keel) t'>o blanket soaked with water as warm as can be borne. If the disease be indamination of the bowels, or enteritis, whether it does or does not follow an attack of colic, among the .symptoms will be stretching of tlie lips upward. This may however be done when there is abdominal irritation of any kind. If the inflaniniation be severe, so shown by increas- ed hvAt and fever, an ammoniacal blister may lie applied. Dilute strong licjuor of ammonia witii si.x times its bulk of cold water, .saturate a clotli with it and lay it on several folds of blani Ounces sulpluirk- etlier, li Ounces luudanum, 4 Ounces ciiiboniitc of magnesia, 1 Quart cold <.'rucl. Mix and give as a dose. If the pulsi^ be low, add to tiic above one drachm carbonate of ammonia. If the animal is weak, but able to swal- low, take j)lenty of time, do not use violent mean>s. If there is parah'sis of the throat, or the horse is in delirium, the dose must be injected through the no.stril, by means of a-'pump and pipe, or horse cutlic'ter. See article tetanus. As soon as there is evidence of recovery, and in fact whenever the animal will take it, thin starch or gruel of flour should be freely given to sheath tiic mucus surfaces. VIII. Soreness and Itching of the Anus. This is a disease following inflammatimi and disease of the rectum, and also produced by other causes. Tiie anus or orifice of the rectum becomes sore. There is a peculiar dryness with scurf, and to relieve the itching the horse sonictimcs rubs the roots of his tail until the hair is en- tirely worn away. What to do. — Attend to the general health of the horse, to keep the bowels in a natural condition. Mi.x a little fine salt with lard oil, and keep the parts well oiled, with friction. If the trouble l)c inside, a little goldenseal well rubbed down with salt butter and passed carefully within the anus, wnll give relief. If the difliculty is occasioned by worms, see that article. IX. Chronic Gastritis. Causes. — Anything which impairs the digestive functions may produce this disease. It is, however, in its chronic form, extremely rare. The ordinary food will be refused, and the animal will persi.st in eating foi'- eign substances — old lime mortar, the wood work of the stal)le, earth, litter and bedding. How to know it. — There is a dry cough ; the meml)raiie of the mouth and nostrils arc dry and pale ; the breath is tainted ; the evacuations 1!) 2«-l ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOK. .snit'll i);u]ly ; the eyes arc sunk, tho I'oaL dry and nigged; the horse loses condilicin and becomes pol bellied ; the anus is lax and prominent. What to do. — Tiie (jure will take time. Prevent the animal from in- dulging i(s uinialural appetite. The following made into a ball will be indicated. No. 104. >i Griiiu stryrlinia, 1 Drachm bicliromate of ammonia, >S Drachm extract olbolladoiiua, 1 Drachm powdered geiiliaii, K Drachm sulphate ol zinc. Give this as a ball once a day. If after continuing several days there is no improvement, give the following : No. lOf). M Ounce licpior arsenicalis, )i Ounce tiiic^uro ipecac, 1 Ounce muriated tincture of iron, M Ounce laudanum, 1 Pint o( water. As the animal gets stronger give an f)unce of sulphuric ether daily in a pint of water. If the animal has simply chronic indigestion, that is, the disease does not sliow in tho severe form we have depicted, to improve the general health the following will he indicated: No. lot). 1 Ounce powdered assafictida, 1 Ounce powdered golden seal, 2 Oiuues powdered ginger, 2 Ounces powdered poplar bark, 5 Drachms powdered sulphate of iron, 1 Draclira powdered red pepper, 1 Pound ol oatmeal, Mix, divide into sixteen messes, and give one every night in the food. In addition to this the following will make a good appetizer : No. 107. 1 Quart brandy, 1 Ounce -salt. Mix and give a wine glass full night and morning in gruel, just before the food. The food given must be of the very best, and that which is easily digested. Boiled oats, shorts and carrots, with sufficient good hay to distend the stomach. Keep tlu^ animal muzzled (hiring the intervals of feeding, to prevent foul f(!eding. Tiiat is, eating litter or other inju- rious substances. If acidity of the stomach be shown, moisten the hay given, and sprinkle it freely with magnesia. TIIK IIOKSK, n\S DISEASES. 285 X. Spasm of the Diaphragm. Causes — Ilanl rilling or driving of a iiorsc constitiilioiially weak. How to know it. — If the liorsc is l)eing riildoii, there will he a sensa- tion to the lider as though a sudden blow was given inside the horse. This is from spasmodic action of the diaphragm (the midriff or muscle separating the chest from the ahdomen ) in drawing the hreath. If the animal is still driven forward it sometimes suddenly falls and dies of suffocation. What to do. — There is no cure. Ixclicf may l)e given by clofliing the liuimai. Lead him to the nearest stable or shetl anti i;ive the followini;': No. lOS. 3 I )riioliins aromatic spirits of iinimoiiia. 3 Drachms tincture of giiijjcr 3 Ounces laudanum, l)i Onnci'S ether. Mi.x in a pint of oil or gruel and give as a dri'nch, or give the following: ' No. lO'J. )a Drachm canii)hor, 1 Draclini powdered ginger, 1 Drachm carbonate of ammonia. Mix with sufficient linseed meal ami hot watin' to form a iiall. Repeat at an interval of three hours if iclicf is not afforded by the first d(,se. \ horse subject to this affection should have oidy slow work. The diai)hragm may be strengthened by giving for some time a daily dost of one drachm of powdered sulphate of iron in the food. XI. Rupture of the Stomach, Rupture, when it ensues, ends jirctty surely in death. Rupture of the stomach is produced by working or driving a horse until he is very hungry and thiMi feeding and watering unduly. The only symptoms which show, are violent colic, and the tenseness of the tissues. There are nuiny rup- tures wliere animals die, and the owner does not know what is the diffi- culty. If the mischief h.as |)roceedcd to i-u])ture, the animal ma\' a.-i well be killed. One of the positions assume(l by a horse sufferini.^ frrun abdominal injuries, is this: lie will persistently sit on his haunches. ,\nimals will assume this position and yet occasionally recover. .Vnothir position assumed is, for the animal to kneel and sup|)ort himself upon his hind 2.s(; ILLUSTHATED STOCK DIICTOU. lo drachms potassa nitrate, daily, until the kidneys act. If t(>nics seem to lie de- manded, give daily doses of 1-2 drachm oxide of iron. XIV. Strangulation of the Intestines. This is produced by various causes, the result of colic and rupture being the most frecpient. Strangulation may l)e produced by the forma- tion of false membranes, by the involvent of the intestines, by the rupture of the mescntary, or by the rolling on itself of the intestine until it is entirely strangulated. In this as in other abdominal difficulties, the animal will often assume unnatural positions, as shown in the article Rupture of the Stomach. If it be a ruminant, and in good flesh, it is better to kill the animal at once. Some forms of stranirulatiou in cattle 288 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. of sufficioiit value, may Ix- renu-died by a veterinary surgeon. In this case, give laudanum in 2-ounce doses to keep the animal quiet until the doctor arrives, lielief is obtained by cutting into the side and releasing the intestine. For the horse give opium in one or two drachm doses as the nature of the case may seem to require to relieve the pain, and trust to nature to effect a cure by releasing the parts naturally. XV. Functional Diseases of the Liver. The liver of the horse is not jjarticularly subject to disease. It was formerly supposed to be almost entirely exempt, but later researches show it to be an agent, through obstruction, and the principal local seat of various disorders, as diabetes, blood poisoning from imperfect oxygen- ation of the albuminoids, etc. How to know it. — In active congestions of the liver, which is the dis- ease nios( usually prevalent and this principally in the South, there may be sluggisimess, irregular bowels, abundant liquid discharges of deep 3'ellow or orange colored dung. There will be extreme and painful prostration, the eyes will be sunken, tiio pulse excited, and the limbs will trcml)le. There ma}' be colicky pains. If the last ribs are struck with some force, extreme pain will be shown. If the horse faints and there are pal- lid mucus membrane, with quick and weak pulse, it may be conjectured tlint iiipture of the liver has taken l)laec. In this case, the end is death. The illustration we give will show the test alik(> for ruptured liver and spleen. What to do. — In the beginning, that is when the pulse is strong, free bleeding will often check the disease. AVIkmi the pulse is weak, blood nmst not be tlrawn ; or, if the blood does not tlow freely, close the orifice at once. Apply mustard iioultices to the limbs, (iive one pound of sulphate of soda dissolved in a (juart of water, to deplete the portal system and liver. Apply ice to the last rilis to check effusion. A])ply a blister over the region of the liver. Continue the sulphate of soda in doses of one to four ounces daily. During the attack and recovery the animal must have pui"e air, and THE HOUSE, ITS DISEASES. 2H[) soft, easily digested food, and as recovery ensues, daily moderate exer- cise must !)e friven. Inflammation of (he llvcv is rare. If conircstion has proceeded to inflammation the rejiion of the last rib will he very tender. There will be (juickening of the pulse. The mouth will be hot and clammy; the bowels may be at first loos(?, yellow and liilious, but soon become costive. The heat of the body is raised : iiatchcs may ajjpear on the mucous membranes ; and the limi)s, especially the hind ones, will swell. What to do — In this case all bleeding should be avoided, (iive as a purge a pound of sul|)hate of soda (glaubcr salts) aided by injciclioijs of warm water. After the bowels are opened, keep them so with small doses of glauber salts, six ounces, or, cream of tartar four ounces daily. If the horse eat anything it must be very light mashes, puli)ed roots or fresh grass. As the horse impi'oves, give t^vice a day two ounces of Peruvian bark or two draclims twice a day of gentian. XVI. Parasites which Infest the Intestines. ^^f'H' The general symptoms for intestinal worms, in large quantity,, are general' ill health. Tiie animal will lose condition : the skin will be scurfy, dry and often itching ; tlic animal will become hide bound and pot l)ellied ; the appetite will be irregular but voracious ; there will be fetid breath, diarrhea, passing of mucus with the dung, colicky pains, swelling, itching and puffy anus, and especially the passage of the worms or their eggs will be certain proof. The horse will raise the upper lip and rub it against anything near. Colts will pick and bite the hair from tiic body and limbs. The annexed cut will give a good general idea of an animal suffer- ing from worms. Besides the bot, already treated of, which inhabits the stomach, there are those of the intestines proper. These are the tape worm, round headed and fl:it headed, and five species of round worms. What to do. — Vermifuges are without number, some general in tlieir nature, and others s])eeitic for particular classes. When worms are sus- pected, and the owner of the animal is not sure of the reality, it is safe ■2dO ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. to give a purue and watch the droppings. The following is a good vermifuge drench : No. 111. 4 Drachms aloes, 1 Ounce powtlcred male fern, 20 Drops oil of worm seed. Give this in a pint of warm gruel an hour liefore feeding in the morning. If it be found that there are tape worms, if the horse is weak, give an ounce of areca nut fasting and follow with 4 drachms of aloes. If the animal is strong, give an ounce of oil of turpentine in an ounce of water. In four hours give another dose and follow in au hour with 4 drachms aloes. In the case of common pin worms, (^Sclerostomum Equinum') and all worms inhabiting the bowels except the tape worm, the following vermifuge will act kiudlj : No. 112. 1 Drachm tartar emcric, )a Drachm powdercil ginger. Mix with enough linseed meal to form a ball, then moisten with hot water and give a dose daily for a week, before feeding. Follow with a dose of one pint of linseed oil, wait another week, and repeat as before. Then give good generous diet, with tonics daily, say 2 drachms sulphate of iron, or 4 drachms gentian in the food. For worms lodging in the gut near the rectum, give an injection of a strong decoction of wormwood or tansey. The prevention of worms is to pay attention to the water the animal drinks, to be careful of dog's drop- pings in the pasture, and to give sound grain and hay as food, since lib- eral feeding and good general care will often extirpate the parasites. For other vermifuges see article 3 of this chapter. XVII. Diarrhea. Diarrhea is a condition of frequent watery discharges from the bowels, and may be produced by so many causes, as irritating and indigestible food, worms, severe purgation by medicines, disorders of the liver, cr constitutional tendency, that no general rule can be given. The owner of the animal nmst find the cause before proceeding intelligently to give relief. Tiic most we can do is to give some general indications. Sometimes diarrh(ra is an effort of nature to rid the body of injurious matter; then the effort should be aided. Early in the effort give the horse a pint of linseed oil, or if an active purge be required, a pint of castor oil. If the diarrlnra does not cease check it with ounce doses of laudanum and follow with tea of slip()ery elm bark, or linseed. If the THE nORSE, ITS DISEASES. 291 difficulty refuse to give way, doses of 2 scruples of tannin may be given, or, doses of 3 drachms of catechu every hour until checked. The ox re(|uires double the dose. Follow with tonics, say 4 drachms of gentian daily, or one ounce of peruvian bark, with sound, easily digested food. If caused by bad water, throw a handful of charcoal in the water before giving it to drink. The following will be found beneficial in the several cases mentioned. For sour and fetid discharges mix the following ingredients in the food twice or thrice daily. No. 113. 1 Ounce powdered chalk, 1 Ounce bisulpbate of soda. For sour discharges with griping, take : No. 114. 1 Drachm powdered opium, 1 Drachm powdered chalk, 20 Drops carbolic acid. Form into a ball with linseed meal and molasses. If the bowels are simply in an irritable, relaxed condition, use the following : No. 115. 1 Ounce powdered chalk, 1 Ounce catechu, 1 Ounce ginger, 1 Drachm ojiium. Make into a ball with linseed meal and molasses. When the diarrhoea is the result of violent medical purging, try the following : No. 116. 2 Ounces laudanum. 2 Ounces powdered chalk. Mx, and give in a quart of thin starch, or flour gruel. For excessive and continued purging, give at one dose the following : No. 117. 1 Ounce laudanum, 1 Ounce sulphuric ether, 20 Grains tannic acid. Mix iu a pint of Ilax-seed tea. Astringent injections may be given as follows : No. 118. 2 Ounces laudanum, 2 Drachms acetate of lead, 1 Quart starch water. IM,V.xTI!.\rKl) STdCK UOCTOK Iiijoff half of this ;iiul foUow willi the rciiiiiiiKlcr in tiiree hours, if nec- cssarv, or givo at oiio inji'rtion tho following: 4 Orachms tannic acid, 1 Pint starch water. In case of rattle the same quantities may be* used, but when given by the mouth it must be made to trickle slowly down the throat. (CHAPTER VII. DISEASES OF THE LIVER, URINARY ORGANS, ETC. JAUNDICE. II. ENLAKOKMKNT OF TUB SI'LKKN. III. INFLAMMATION OF THE kId- NEYS. IV. I'KOFII.SK HTAI.I.VG, OR DIAIIBTKS. V. BLOODY UHINK, OH H.KMATURIA. VI. THICK AND ALBUMINOUS UIIINE. VII. WHITE, Oil LIMB URINE. VIII. (iUAVKL, OR STONE IN THE BLADDER. IX. SUPPRESSION OF URINE. X. INFLAMMA- TION OF TIIK BLADDER. XI. FOUL SHKATII. XII. RUPTURE OF THE BLADDER. XU;. SPASM OF I IIK URETHRA. XIV. INFLAMMATION OF TUB GROANS OF OENKRATION. I. Jaundice. The horse is snbjoft to l)ut few di.seases of the liver. Jaundice or the yellows, is a coiiditioii in wliicii tiie visil)le mucous membranes, the skin (if it !)(' naturally white) tlie urine and the tissues are stained yellow, not In non-.secrelioii of Ihe hiie from the ])lood, hut by the re-absorption of bile already secreted. Causes. — Obstruction of the bile duct from any cause. Obstruction of the I)owels hinderiiilinl(i u OlIllCO l)l)Wllcl'Ull guiiliuii. Give us ii l)!ill, niiidn willi inoliisscs iiiid linseed meal. If four or five doses do not show decided effect discontinue. Si.\ or seven days should effect a cuire. V. Bloody Urine, or Heematuria. Causes. — Sprains or bruisinjj of the loins, stone in the kidneys, urinary passajics or bladder ; hiood poisoninji. IIORSL blUlKUINO riiOM BLOODY UKINL. How to Determine the Condition. — H" Ctoi" local iniiation, ihe Mood being in a healliiy state, tliere will be clots of l)l()od passed, and libricious casts of (he ui'iiiary tubes entangling blood globules. These may be seen witli a good lens, if there is gravel more or less gritty matter will !)(' passed. If tVoni blood ])oisoning, the tests must l)i> made by a vete- rinarN' surgeon, from tiu^ urin(>, who can tlien prescribe the proper treatment . What to do. — Tiie general |)ractice is to give sound food, good shelter, mucilagiiu)us drinks, as linseed or slippery elm tea, or marsii mallow tea. Also acid astringents, vinegar, buttermilk, a weak decoction of white oak bark. If the passages are profuse apply cold water to the loins. If there is intlammation foment with warm water (cloths saturated with hot water) and follow with a mustard plaster. If (he bowels are inactive, give the following : No. 127. -1 Dni.'lims aloes, 1 Ounce oriiiiu tartar. Mix in one and a half pints of warm water and give when cool, aiding the operation by an injection of one tjuart of soap suds and four ounces oil of (urpciitiue. TIIK HOKSE, ITS DISEASES. VI. Thick and Albuminous Urine. 299 This disability in iiorsos, clmractcrizcMl l)y a tliick, ropy, alhumiiious discharge of urine, is (juitc common in its milder forms, lieing an attend- ant on extensive inflammation of im})ortant organs, on rlieumatism, fevers, and some conditions of blood poisoning. It is especially attend- ant on inflammation of the kidneys, both acute and chronic, attended with degeneration and shedding of the epithelium (tiie layers of cells) lining the kidney tubes. POSITION ASSlMfcl) K\ II Itsl IIA\ ING \I lit MINOUS UKINE. How to know it. — There are two special positions assumed by horses suffering from severe secretion of albuminous urine. One is the stretched out position. In the other the back will be roached, as seen in the cut. In its mild stages the urine is thick, ropy, mucilaginous ; when it flrst begins to flow, of a rcddish-l)rown color, but changing to a moie natural condition, ending with a whitish, milky fluid; sometimes th(^ reverse ; connueneing white. When the disease is farther advanced the urine is thicker, more deeply tinged, and sometimes offensive to the sense of smell. It may degenerate into a number of forms, and finally terminate in l>iii;lit's disease of the kidneys. What to do. — Place tlie animal where it may be comfortal)le ; clothe warmly. If there is inflammation of the kidneys, foment with a sheep skin wrung out of hot water ; or bettor, with an infusion of a handful of digitalis (Foxglove) in a pail of scalding water, and use other measures recommended in this article. If it be thought necessary to liquify the urine, not always beneficial, prepare the following: 20 300 ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. No. 128. 1 Ounce powdered assufs. If thci-e is renewed straining, place a truss or compress over the vagina. 304 ILIAISTKATIOI) STOCK UOCTOR. XIII. Stricture of the Urethra. Sirictiirc of (li(> urollini is tlie result of IocmI iri'itnlion, the results of <>i-iivel, or of strong astriugoiit iujeelious. The syiuptoins ai'c diffieult urination, with great pain and fre(|uent erections. The ruvc nuist bo effected hy the use of eatlietcrs, gratlually iiuu-easing them in size until the normal condition is regained. XIV. Inflammation of the Organs of Generation. (I. — In stallions, there is occasionally inllammation of the testicles, caused by oxtcrnal injury and other causes. It may be known by the swi'lling of the parts, a straddling gait, with drawing up and again let> ting down of the testicles. What to do.— (live a purgative, 4 drachms aloes in 1 1-2 jiints water. Fonienl the |)arts twice a day with warm water. Then dry and apply ex- tract of belladonna or laudanum. If pus (matter) should form, known by fluctuation of the parts, open at the soft jiart. If the gland is involved, and there is threatened destruction of the pai't, t'astration had better be perfoi'inctl. /i. — I iijlitiiiiiiatioii of the ]Vi)iiif). Causes. — Bruises or other injuries at the time of giving birth, or in getting I'id of the afterbirth; retained afterbirth, or exposure to wet or cold after parturition. How to know it. — Two, tliree (n' four days after parturition, tliere will bean attack of shivering: pains, with looking at the flanks, similai' to those in colic ; shifting of the hind feet ; the loins and abdomen tender, with aching of the loins; the vulva red and swollen ; there is frequent straining with fetid dis'harge. The oiled hand being introduced into the womb, the neck and l)ody will be found tilli^d witli fluid ; the belly will be tense and swollen ; thc^ respij-iition and jjuIsc will be increased, and the temperature of the body hot. 'I'here will be grinding of the teeth, great thirst and loss of power in the limbs. What to do. — After having drawn out the contents of the woml> with a catheter, till it again with tepid water, introduced through the tube, and wash out tiioroughlv. Then inject one drachm permanganate of potassa in a pint of lukewarm walci-, adding four ounces of glycerine and half an ounce of laudanum. (Jive a )iui'gative dose to move the bowels freely, 4 drachms Bai'badoes aloes for a marc; (for a cow, 1 pound of glauber salts). Follow this with 'JO drops tincture of aconite four times a dav for the mare; (for a cow, .'iO drops). Give also once a day 5 drachms TIIK i:OIiSE, ITS UISKASES. 305 nitrate of polassa, aiul also oiicc a day 1 to 2 draclims chlorate of potassa. Ai)i)ly a blister of iiuistard to the right flank of the mare, or for a eow, nnistard and oil of turpentine. If there is a weak pulse, prostration and stupor, use stimulants; quinine in 15 to 20 orain doses, camphor and whisky; also antiseptics, chlorate of potassii, 1-drachm doses, or carbolic acid 1-2 drachm doses in a ])int of water. c. — Lettcorr/icea, Catorrli of flic Womb or Vngina. The same general treatment is to be observed as in the foregoing, it may be known bj^ a whitish discharge from the vulva if caused by i-e- tained afterbirth. Ke|)cat the injection recommended for inflannjiation of the womb, daily, and keej) up the system with tonics and good food. The following will form a good tonic : No. Ki-i •! Drailims sulphate of iron, 1 Dnifhiu black pepper, % Ounce ginger, a Ovince gentian. Divide into three doses for each day. (UIAl'TlOU VIII. DISEASES OF THE TEETH AND MOUTH. 1. TKICTIIINO, Olt niONIiTION. II. HIIKUDINCS TKKTII. III. IlLIND TKKTIl. IV. DECAY <)!' TllK TKKTII. V. SCIMIVV. VI. 8TIIM1' HlICKINli, OR OHIl) IlITINQ. VII. I.AM- I'A.S. VIII. INI'LAMMATION IN AND AUllUND TllK MOUTH. IX. SLAVKKINl!. X. INFLAMMATION Ol' TllK TONOIIK. XI. MIIAI!!' AM) IMUMKCTINU TKKTIl. XII. SCALD MOl'I'll. MM. Al'l'IIA. XIV. INI'LAMMAITON OK TllK I'AKOTID OLAND. XV. FI8- Tl'I.A OK rillC rAUOlTI) DIICT. I. Toothing, or Dentition. l>i'ii(i(iiiii ill (lie horse Iims .•ilrciuly Ix'cn wiillcn of ;nui illiisd-atoil ill llic iii:i|) oivcn in lliis woi-k. In Icclliiiii;-, all animals suffer iiiori' or less from irritation and fever of (he |),ir(s, prolialilv ,is iniieh so as Iht' hiiinan family. In |iii|)|iies and in Uidcns il often causes com ulsioiis between (he third and si\lh month. Cattle are prineipally t rouliled iietween the se<'ond and third year, and horses from the third to tile fourth year, since in the third year they cut four front teeth and eij;h1 hack oiie.'^, and ill Iho fourth yi'ar four front liaek teeth, eioht hack (eetii and the four tushes. lienee the reason why it is advised that at thi.s period of their lives they he not hard worked. In hotli cattle and horses tlie risiuij teetli are soiiietiines eiitanoled willi tlie ieetli that are heiuo- slied. Tliere will he redness, sweliiujr, teiideVness (d" tiie jrunis, and the iiillaiiiination sometimes extends to the throat, eansinn: eoiiuhiiiji- and li-eiieral fever. What to do. — If (here is slaverinu:- ; if the animal seems to chew hard food with pain, or holts soft food with has((>, exauiiiu^ the mouth. Ex- tract the loose teeth : lance the ifimis to allow easy dentition ; wash the •iuiiis with tincture uf myrrh : relieve the howcls if necessary with ii-eiitlc ■IIIK llclliSi;, IIS DISKASKS. .'JO? l;ix:iti\i's, Miul i^ivc ;is iiiinli rol mimI scifl fdod as [lossihlc. Swine from tlic sixth to till' twclt'tli inoiilli iHiiallv ciil thirty-six trcth, and somct inics retjuire aUeiitioii. II. Shedding Tooth. Ill the siicddiiiLr i>f the tci'tii tlif iiKiuth slionhl lie cxamiiiiMl rrci|U(nl i\ for loosoned tcoth, to (iiul if the new toctli aro p-owiiiu; properly. It' they !ire likely to heeoiiu' crowded. I'aiisiiiii- twistinii;, thev should lie straiji'htened, and il' nei-essar\ mir nf Iheni extracted to allow thcin to frrow properly. Sonietiines there will he disease of the ineniinanes snr- rouilding the roots id" the teeth, catlsini;- looseiiinii', dexialion from the |)roper course, suppuration, and even sheddiiii;- of the teeth with much [lain, e\ en to inllainniat ion and other diseases of the iiuiii. Relief is to be •liven by careful exaiiiination, Ueepinu; the bowels open with soft f. Causes. — .Vnything (h:it will destroy i\\>' enamel or corrv ser;i|iiii^' llie (oniiiie, and \('t lliis is fully as seilsiMe as lo suppose fe\'er l(i l)e llie disease itself when it is an effect of disease. In tlie liofse fevers often iniuiifest theiuselves llirou<;li iiillainniatioii of tlie MUieous or serous iiieiiibraiR's, prodiieimx eatai'fli or inlhieiiza. When i( affeets tlie mucous suffaee of llie sloinaeli and bowels il produces extreme languor and debility. In i)]eiirisy there is inllammatioii of the serous memiu'anes within the thorax. I'lie fexcr is the manifestation of the disease. In ty})hoid fever there is inllammatioii of the l)raiii and viseeia and es|)ecially of the stomaeh, intestines and pejors fihiiul. The fever is the atli'iidanl simply upon the cause of the inflammation. l''e\('r in horses has been described b\- the author of IIippopatholoeding, but in the horse in the early stages of acute intiamnni- tioii, espi>cially of the brain, and all that class of diseases which involve the general system, and when the blood is thick and dark, sometimes almost brown, bleeding ma\- b(> |)racticed with success. It is ncviM' well however lo bltH'd lilindl\-. in ajioplew and that class of diseases, bleed. It is a ease of life or diMlli. For fevers in genend there can be no specilic. Ill diseases of the blood, accompanied by fever, all general symjjtoms in a marked manner. What to do. — Simple hypertrophy is seldom the cause of innninent danger. It is not unusual for horses with an enlargement id' the heart to do steady, slow, moderate woi'k, and li\c to be old. If there is dilatation, weakness, blowing murmurs with the first heart sound, sj)ells of oppressed and ditlicult l)reathing, if the nasal and other visible mucous membranes are livid, there is danger of sudden death at any time. Keep the animal (piiet, and at only slow, moderate labor; iu'\cr over- load or put him to speed. Let the diet be of good, easily digested food ; never allow the .stomach to become overloaded. Give twice a day frf)m 20 to 'M droi)s tincture of aconite root as the case may need. If there is broken wind or other serious impediment to breathing, ;5 to I grains of arsenic in the food has been fomid useful. If tli<' case, however, be of long standing, or due to permanent obstruction, treidment must be sim[)ly allevi.ation. The case will eventually end in death. V. Fatty Degeneration of the Heart. This disease is occasioned i)y a change of the muscular subslan siocii iKxroii. C8UI6I,- lli,"li I'l'iliii;', iiKiit i\ il \ , w.itil of cxcrriHc, mikI (lir icsiill of HIK'li (liHcilHcs IIS |iur|Hiiii Nriirlcl I'lN rr, :i 11(1 (liNcjiscs I lie rcsiill (p(' [iru- roiind iillrnilioM <>r IIm' I>I i. How to know it. I><'l>ilils in IIk' <'ii'<-iil:ilii>n, irri'^'iilarll \ .iimI \\r:ik- ncMM in I 111' |mi1m(', Ics.srniii;.' nf Ihr licarl sdiiiuls, swcllin;^ of I he Ic^s and HinnrlinirM II iji'iicriil ilrii|)siciil rnndilidii, ililiilal imi, a wani cd' corri'^Jiinnd- I'liri' lii'lwi'in (lie lirail lical- I 111"' sliiikc ( d' llic |)iilsc, :i|i|ii'l il c irrcj;'- iilar and lainiciun ., and lln' inriiiliraiii's nf llir niniilli and iii>'s(>n(ei'ie iirleiies of horses, tliey iii'e eoininon from imniatiire worms ( Sr/irtis/niiniiii n/iiiintiii ) in the rireiilat ion. How to know it. lliere is a soft, tliirl iial iiiL;, \ i ilile liimoi' if iieiii- liie siil'filee, wliicli ina\ lie rediieed li\ ]iressnre, liiil which iiislaii(l\- i'eii|i|iciirs. Wlint to do. Treat meiil is not siu'eessfnl c\ccpl wlicii near the siil'- filee. 'i'lieii sleiidy pressure liy ii piiil if (iikeii eiirly will sometimes cause its disiippeiirance. ,\ii aniiniii with tr down his lienil and keeiiine- it down al will, willi Ills jinvs in ahiiost eonsiani iiiolion, intliiinmat ion ol' lh<' vein is a|i| lo result. . So, if he is allowiil aeeess lo food in a Iroll^jh or slahle. \\ hen MJIowed iiis I'reedoni he is a|>l lo iiih Ihe wound wlienc\cr iteliiii;^- sensa- tions su|ier\i'ne, as thev are apt lo, and l he lidiihle is Ihiis easii\- iiidiieed. If pill loth.' saddle immedial.'lv al'ler hlood-lel I iiiij from the neek,lhe bridle reins mav rnh the wound, and espeeialU irrilale il h\' disi iirhini; its fiiHleninjrs ; and if put lo harness I he collar ma\ press the hi I too vidleiilly mid eonslantlv ajjain^l lh<' oriliee, and so hrine on inllaminal ion. How to know it. 'I'he earliest iiidi.alion is a sli;;lil opening. ,d' I lie lips (if the wound, whence exudes ill small (|uaiititv a tliin, watery (liseliar;j(\ A slight swelliiie appears ; liiis is l'oilow<'d hy a hard, cord-like eiilarec- iiient ol' Ihe vein, which feels liot ; and tliert^ is some visij.h' swclline nl (lie aiiijle of Ihe jaw. The sweililij-- dikes phiee .ihovc Ihe oriliee, and tile inllamination lends almost, wholly in that direction. If IK'ijieeted. tliesi'eond sta;.re of the disorder soon sets in. Aliscesses f\ sinuses in llie interior of ihe vessel, Il mav he reckoned as .a third sla^re of the disease when Ihe vein feels liaid niiiler Ihe skin, .Mnd Ihe ahscesses diseliarj;e a dark, impure .and stinkiiiL! pn-^, rcseinhrnij,^ rotten hlood. ,\l this slaei> ihc Ikmsc ^'rows dull and sliipid ; theiial last t he inllaminal ion extends lo the hr.aiii, and 11 madness simil.ar in violcnci' and fatal effects lot he rallies nia\ siiper\ ciic, What to do.— In Ihe lirsl placi-, "an ounce (d' prevcnlion is worth a pound of cure," and whenever il is neeessarv lo hh'e<| ;iii aiiim.al, let it 111' done in as Ileal , skillful .and e\pei Ounce powdered resin, >4 Oiiiu'c iiitiT, 10 Drops oil ofjunipcr. jNIix into a ball with licpunMce ]>ow(ier and molasses. If abscesses form, open them with a shar]) knife, and dress with the following : No. 143. 1 Oiiiu'o carbolic acid, 1 I'int distilled water. . THE IIOKSK, ITS DISEASES. 325 In the local form there will be slight swelling of the cords, and redness in white skins. The lymphatic glands will he enlarged along their course, and become nodular or knotty. There will be pasty swellings of the parts, and even erysipelas. What to do. — Give rest, and a i)urge of aloes as recommended for the chronic state. AVasli the diseased liml) wilii tiic following: No. 144. }j Drailim opium, 1 Dniclim acetate of lead, 1 Drachm carbolic acid, 1 (^iiart raiuwater. In case of excessive inHamniation, poultice with flax seed or bread and milk to hasten suppuration. Open the suppurating parts to let out the niattci', and dress with the cai-lxiiic solution ;is in the other form of the disease. IX. Scarlatina. Causes. — This disease, called also scarlet fever, is not considered contagious in its milder forms, l)ut in a malignant stage it would doubt- less be as much so as the same disease in the human family. It is sometiines regarded as 1)ul a mild form of acute anasarca, and not entitled to be treated as a distinct affection ; but we cannot dwell upon tiie niceties of classification, and where the necessities of the case (the knowledge requisite for treating certain manifestations of disease success- fully ) are met, it is not impoi'tant that we should. It generally follows influenza and other affections of the respiratory organs ; and may be justly said to have its origin in colds, and in some cases, perhaps, in the breathing of vitiated air in close, dark, ill-ventilated stabb's. How to know it. — The patient exhibits great thirst, with a failing ajjpctitc, and evident weakness. He is more or less unsteady in his gait ; his breath is hot and stinking, and all the limbs are swollen. But the most unmistakable signs are elevated blotches on the skin about the neck and fore limbs, and scarlet spots, of variable size, on the membranes within the nostrils. What to do. — First, remove the animal from its fellows, for fear the disease may develop into that putrid form which is found so contagious among children, and prove infectious. Give an occasional watery bran mash to keep the bowels open and allay fever. If this is not found sufliciently laxative, give a dose of Epsom salts, or linseed oil. Guard against too active and violent purgatives. Mix three ounces liquor acetate 32t) ILLliSTKATEl) HlOClv DOCTOR. i)f iiiiniioiiia with tliroo ouiu'os of cold wiitor, and drench with this once or twice a day, according to the violence of the fever, for three days. Mcauwhile, sponge the elevated s^jots on the skin with a tincture of niuiiatc of iron mixed with M-ann water ; or, if found more convenient, |)ut two ounces of hartshorn (aijua annnonia) into a (juart of soft water, and use (hat. There is a tendency in this tlisease to dropsical effusions, and the limhs hccoMio very nuich swollen, even during the treatment prescribed ; and l>v the third or fourth day a whitish mucus will begin to run slighth' from both nostrils ; the scarlet spots will have spread and become redder. (Jive now, night and morning, one-half iluid ounce sweet spirits of niter, fitr four or iive days. Discontinue to sponge tlie elevated spots, but rub the linilis I'losely and often ; and blanket the animal if necessary to keep him comfortable. The niter acts as a diuretic, and the dose and length of time it is given must be regulated by the effei-t upon the kidneys. If urine is voided too often and too freely, lessen the dose, or discontinue it alto- gether. Follow this up with a daily doso of twenty grains of sulphate of quinine for from three to six days, and continue to rub the limbs. When there are signs of returinng appetite, give him, in addition to the bran mashes, a few oats and a daily snndl allowance of hay ; and i)lace him in a snjall inclosure, where lie may have such moderate exercise as he may be iirompted to take. Do not fail to supply him from the first with all the pure water that he will drink. CHAPTER X. DISEASES OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM. 1. HYDROPHOniA, OR RABIES. II. MAD STAOGER.S, OR I'HRENITIS. IH. BLIND STAG- GERS, MEenth to tiie twentieth day the stomach inflanios, and perhaps rejects food, — but nothing certainly can be stated as to this point, since here the symptoms vary greatly with different animals: in some cases the appetite is voracious, and so morbid that the suffeier will devour his own excrement and urine. Sometimes he will exhibit burning thirst and drink freely, while ag.ain water will cause spasmodic nmvements and be avoided with liorrcn'. Hut in general, the appetite is destroyed, and that drcatl of watir which charactei-izes the disease in nuvn is present in the lunse. In a very short time the indii-ations increase, and usually (as we havi- said, with full blooded, feverishly disposed horses, at a time of high tcmperatuit') liefore tiie twentieth day, absolute madness sets in. Fie TIIK IIOKSK, ITS DISKASKS. 329 now nil)s llic liiltcii pai't ;ii;;iiiist .inylliiiiL;' convenient uitli inerciised violoiu:c ; sometimes instend of rnliliinii' lie will l)itc and tear liie wound : llic eyes assume a wilder and more inmaliirai a|>[)('araiu'e ; some patients nL'inoi-ts, foams, sometimes uttering ii kind of crying neigh, and perhaps heats himself to death liefore the last and compaiatively helpless stage comes on. DKSTitUCTIVK IMPrmK OF lIYDUOIMIOItIA . If not destroyed Ix'forc the disease has lam its course, paral^'sis, usually eoniined to the loins and the h-inder extremities, sets in, and involves with it all those organs which depend for theii' nervous influence upon the posterior portion of the spinal cord. I'nal.le to stand upon the hind legs, the animal will sit on his liaunciies, and strike; and paw with his fore feet. The suffering is sometimes rendered more terrible hv tenesmus or retching of the bowels, which seem dreadfully oppressed but have lost the power tf) act, while the kidneys are fevered and torpid and the urine cannot be \'oided. ;58() Il.I.l'STRATKI) STOCK DOCTOR. It soiiicliiiu's liiippciis tli;it tlic disease is developed by exertion and heal, wlu-n no j)revioiis indications have been manifest, and shows itself ill a peculiar manner. 'J'he horse stops all at once in his work, heaves, paws nervously, trembles, staggers and falls. In a moment he will be up, and may, if put to it, proceed for a few moments, when he will stop, stare about, and lie down again. 'I'liis stage is sometimes mistaken for bliiul staggers, but it may be tlistinguished by observing that in blind staggers the horse loses his senses, while in hydrophobia he is always conscious, often acutely intelligent and observing. What to do — This is a disorder of so dreadful ami dangerous a charac- ter tli;it some of the ablest veterinarians do not hesitate to advise the instant killing of the sufferer; and they refuse to give any directions for attempting a cure. When the furious stage has come on there seems to be a sort of demoniac maliciousness and treachery, with a watchful cun- ning, that makes it hazardous for friend or stranger to trust himself any- where within reach. It is extremely doubtful, too, whether recovery evi'r takes place after the madness is developed. "\'et, it is not improbable that much may be done in the way of i)reven- tioii lifter the bile has been inflicted. The first step is to check the How of l)lood from the part, if possible, to i)revent the rapid spread of the jjoison over the system. If a limb has been bitten, this may be done by tying a hanilkerchief around it, above the wound, and twisting with a stick until a sutHcient degree of compression is had. Then cauterize the wound thoroughly, making sure that the very deepest recesses of ever}' tooth i)rint or lacerated place is reached. Lunar caustic is best, because most easily and surely handled ; but if impossible to get a stick of this, any convenient taustic may be ajjplied, as oil of vitriol, nitric acid, caus- tic })()tasli, buttci- (if antimony, etc. : or, a small iron, not too sharj), heated to a white heal and cleaned of scales, will answer if the animal can be kept still enough to apply without danger of injuring him other- wise. The haiulkerchief should be left on tight until the cauterization is effected. Cauterizing thoroughly, even two or three days after the injury, may result ill saving the animal, as the absorption does not always speedily take place. if the wound is upon a part that forbids the use of the handkerchief, it may be cut open to its dci)th, and a freer How encouraged, both by the larger opening and by squeezing and wringing — soaking, meanwhile, with warm water. Then use the lunar caustic wherever a sign of tooth mark can be seen. Rut when unobserNH'd till the virulent stage has come on, it is not even known to s.-iencc that anvthing can be done to save ; and the best, the TIIK IlOliSK, ITS DISKASES. 381 most merciful thing to do is t;' slioot al oiuf. When tiiore are strong symptoms of madness, l)ut still some douht, [jut him l)y himself in a sta- ble, bare of everything destruetible except food and water, which must be placed where he can got it, and barricade the door. Leave a window open for observation, and keep him here until the symptoms disapi)ear or hyilrophohia is unmiscakablc — then act accordingly. II. Mad Staggers. Causes. — This disease is sometimes known by the more learned term of phrenitis (the tlclirium of fever ; frenzy, raving) ; but it will i»e b}^ prac- tical men most readily recognized when treated of under its oltl and fa- miliar name. It is an inflamed condition of the brain and its covering, with effusion of the small cavities and the spaces between the membrane and the l)rain itself. Sometimes l)oth the brain and its membranous covering are in- volved in this intlanmiation, sometimes but one, and that most frequently the membrane. It may be caused by concussion of the brain l)y reason of blows upon the head. The brutality of a driver, which finds its gratification in using the butt of his whip upon the head o