OCR Text |
Show Growth of the Horse's Hoof. John W. Adams, professor of veterinary veteri-nary surgeon in tho Unlvorsity of Pennsylvania, says: All parts of tho hoof grow downward nnd forward with equal rapidity, tho rats of growth being lnrgoly dopendont upon th amount of blood supplied to tho podo-dorm, podo-dorm, or "quick." Abundant nnd rcg. ular oxerciso, good grooming, moist-nosa moist-nosa nnd suppleness of tho hoof, going barefoot, plenty of good food and at proper intervals removing tho overgrowth over-growth of hoof nnd regulating the bearing surface, by increasing tho volume vol-ume and Improving tho quality of tho blood flowing Into the pododorm, favor tho rapid growth of horn of good quality; qual-ity; whllo lack of oxorclse, dryness of tho horn and excesslvo length of tho hoof hlndor growth, Tho average rate of growth Is about one-third of an Inch a month. Hind hoofs grow faster than foro hoofs and unshod one3 faster than shod ones. The time required for tho horn to grow from the coronet to tho ground, though influenced to a slight degree by tho proclted conditions, varies in proportion propor-tion to tho distance of tho coronet from tho ground. At tho too, depending depend-ing on its height tho horn grows down in cloven to thirteen months, at tho sldo wall in six to eight months and at the heels in three to flvo months. Wo can thus estimate with tolerablo ac-ciuJcy ac-ciuJcy tho time required for tho dis- I appearanco of such defects in tho hoof I as cracks, clofts, etc. I Irregular growth Is not Infrequent. ' Tho almost invariable cause of this Is an Improper distribution of tho body ' weight over the hoof that is, an un- i balanced foot Colts running In soft pasturo or confined for long periods In tho stable aro frequently allowed to j grow hoofs of excesslvo length. The ' long too becomes " dished "that is, concave from tho coronet to tho ground tho long quarters curl forward and inward and often completely cover tho frog or lend to contraction of the hcelB, or tho whole hoof bends outward or inward, in-ward, and a crooked foot, or, oven worse, n crooked leg, is tho result if tho long hoof bo allowed to exert Its ' poworful and abnormally dlroctod lev- ! erago for but a few months upon young plastic bones and tender and lax articular ligaments. All colts are ; i.fJcrtAvlth stnilnhtlegs. but fall- ' ure to iflat(rtne-ienBvi--W- --, of thejl.oof may inako a straight leg crooked and a crooked leg worse, Just i as intelligent caro during tho growing period can greatly Improve a congen-Rally congen-Rally crooked limb. If breeders were mora generally cognizant of tho power of ovorgrown nnd unbalanced hoofs to divert tho lowor bonoa of young legs from their proper direction and, there-foro, there-foro, to cause them to bo moved improperly, im-properly, with loss of speed and often with Injury to tho limbs, we might hope to seo fewer knock-kneed, bow-logged, bow-logged, "splay-footed," "pigeon-toed," cow-hocked, interfering and paddling horses. If in shortening tho hoof ono sldo wall Is, from Ignorance, left too long or cut down too low with relation to tho othor, tho foot will bo unbalanced, and In traveling tho long section will I touch tho ground first and will contln-' uo to do so till it has been reduced to . its proper level (length) by the in-1 creasod wear which will take place at this point Whllo this occurs rapidly in unshod hoofs, tho shoo prevonts wear of tho hoof, though it is itself more rapidly worn away beneath the high (long) sldo than elsowhero, so that by tho tlmo tho shoo Is worn out tho tread of tho shoo may bo flat. It this mistake bo repeated from month to month, tho part of tho wall left too high will grow moro rapidly than the low sldo whose pododerm is relatively anomic as a result of the greater weight falling Into this halt of the hoof, and the ultlmnto result will bo a "wry" or crooked foot. Sheep Wagons. A report of tho Department of Agriculture Ag-riculture says: Tho method of managing man-aging sheep on tho westorn ranges varies greatly In dlfforent parts of tho country and with different sheep mon. In sorao localities readily accessible, ac-cessible, largo and commodious sheop wagons follow tho bands of sheop from plnco to placo, and In theso wagons tho herders carry their necessary nec-essary utensils, "food, clothing and bods. Tho usual form of sheop wagon contnlns a cook stove, convenient con-venient urrangoment for sleeping and a supply of modlcinen. Thoso wagons may bo hauled by two or four horses, according to tho condition of tho roads. In moro inaccosslblo placos, cno wagon may bo requlrod to furnish fur-nish service for a number of herdors, who sloop In tents, near tho night camping ground for tho sheop. "Un-dor "Un-dor such conditions each hordor establishes es-tablishes n camp nt somo location, protectod from storms and convent ontly near water, fuol and grass. |