strength, &c., of horses, and the state or habit of body they are in at the time. Although blood ought not, in general, to be taken from horses on trifling occasions, when they may be said to be in health, yet when cases occur that do require it, it may not only safely but usefully be recommended to take away a greater quantity at once than is usually done; for instance, from three to four quarts, according to the urgency of the symptoms at the time, the strength and age of the horse being also taken into consideration.

"For as horses are very subject to inflammatory diseases, and those that are of the spasmodic kind, and as bleeding plentifully relaxes the whole system in these cases, the taking away a small quantity of blood is in fact playing with the disease. The horse is then said to have been bled, and that satisfies the owner and the farrier. Time is thus lost, the disease acquires strength, and it may then be beyond the power of art to mitigate or conquer it, hence the horse falls a sacrifice to timidity and ignorance. It is to be remembered that inflammatory diseases, particularly when the bowels are affected, make a very rapid progress in horses, and if they are not overcome in the beginning by bleeding plentifully, the horse commonly dies in twenty-four hours of a gangrene or mortification in the intestines.

"Mr. Coleman, in the first part of the transactions of the Veterinary College, speaks of the inflammation of the vein which sometimes succeeds bleeding in the following terms: Although,' says he, a. vein is not strictly a circumscribed cavity, yet it has no communication with the air of the atmosphere, and when once exposed, if the parts after the operation do not unite by the first intention, the vein is liable to great mischief.

"Whenever inflammation attacks the internal surface of veins from bleeding or any wound, the disease is to be considered as of the same nature, and requiring the same remedies, as the exposure of joints or other cavities.

"The first symptoms of inflammation and suppuration within a vein, is generally a small degree of swelling about the orifice, the lips of which soon recede from each other, and a little oozing escapes from the part.

At other times the swelling will be more considerable, attended with frequent hemorrhage, and where the swelling extends much above the orifice, the vein is frequently callous and enlarged as high as the head. This enlargement and hardness of the vein proceeds, in part, from the coagulable lymph filling up its cavity, and in part from the vein being thickened, and the lymph sometimes becomes organised, and firmly unites to the internal surface of the vein. In other cases the coagulable substance does not unite to the vein, but acts as a foreign body on the whole internal surface of the vein."

From the reason detailed by Mr. Clark and other eminent professors, it is to be observed that bleeding should never be performed unless it is absolutely necessary, as in many inflammatory cases, or some good and substantial reason can be adduced why such an operation is required.

Should inflammation appear, and the part begin to swell, immediately remove the pin, and after fomenting with warm water try the following lotion :

Golard's Extract
Spirits of Wine

half a pint.

Mix this together, then throw it into a quart bottle

This must be applied every two or three hours for two or three days; if the animal is at all plethoric a mild dose of medicine may be administered.

It will be needless here to enumerate the many diseases where bleeding will be absolutely necessary; under the head of each separately the subject has been discussed, and either recommended or disapprovedof: in times when the horse is shedding his coat it is improper, also after excessive purging by medicine or otherwise

Carriage and draught-horses should never be worked for two or three days after the operation, as the pin may be forced out, the orifice may open and the wound burst out anew, which would be exceedingly dangerous in the night, as it might bleed some time before the accident was discovered, and the horse reduced to great weakness from the excessive loss of blood.

Besides the jugular-vein, which is generally the best and most easily got at, blood is taken at times from any of the superficial veins, especially when the inflammatory symptoms are local. The plate-vein is often used when the shoulder or any part of the fore-leg is affected; and the saphana, or thigh-vein, which runs across the inside of the thigh, in diseases of the hinder legs and extremities.

All instruments used in bleeding should be very sharp and clean, and after every operation they should be carefully wiped, and never put into the case till perfectly dry, for the edge soon corrodes and will then be useless.

In bleeding in the jugular-vein, the greatest care is requisite, for when that becomes diseased or affected the cure is very tedious and difficult. When inflammation of the vein is obstinate, the orifice of the wound

Z

is anointed with butter of antimony, and a bran-poultice applied.

BLISTERING.

Since it excites external irritation, and draws away the inflammation from deep-seated disease, is essential in very many cases, particularly as blisters may be applied to almost every part of the animal.

Before administering a blister the hair should be cut very close or shaved off; and in all cases the ointment should be well rubbed in if an effect is wished to be produced.

A very powerful and active ointment is composed as follows:

Care is necessary to have the horse so secured when blisters are applied that he may not blemish the part, for if he can reach the place by turning and stretching his head and neck the muzzle would be blistered unless the head is tied.

When the blister has produced the wished-for effect, the use of olive or neat's-foot oil is recommended, this will prevent the skin from cracking, for if sores arise in this way they are difficult to heal.

After a blister it is necessary to keep the animal as little exposed to cold as possible, especially if the ointment is used on the legs. Mustard is not frequently applied for disease of the horse

To make a liquid blister, turpentine and an infusion of cantharides is used. Tincture of croton is an active blister. Blisters are very efficacious in cases of deep

seated inflammation, and if life is endangered they

cannot be too active.

CROPPING OR AMPUTATION OF THE EARS.

Some few years ago an attempt was made to introduce this operation generally, and make it the object of taste and fashion. Reason and humanity, however, triumphed, and the practice has become obsolete except in some few rare cases of disease. Is it necessary to make any remarks on or to expose the barbarity of Cropping? The real judge and admirer of the horse must be perfectly convinced that that animal's ears in their natural shape and size constitute the chief beauty of the head, and that it is utterly out of the power of any one to make them handsomer than nature has already contrived.

Disease might, however, render Cropping necessary, but as all should be perfectly aware no part of any animal was made in vain, but for some wise purpose, so the ears should not be cut away unless necessity deemed such an operation requisite.

Curved clams, called the cropping-irons, are called into use for this purpose; into these the ears are in. troduced, and at one stroke the upper part is severed from the lower, more or less, at the option of the operator. As soon as cut, the skin and muscles recede considerably from the gristle of the ear; but this need not be any cause of alarm to the owner, the parts will heal in a few days without any particular attention more than keeping them clean; the animal must be confined, and his diet should be moderate and cooling until the ears are well.

The horse will often exhibit considerable shyness