Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 8, ELE-FOR

art III. F A R 11
duce preflure on the natural frogs, while the horfes are
Handing in the Cable, and thus to give time for the
' growth of the heels, and to avoid the evils that would
arife from lowering thefe too fuddenly, or from allow¬
ing the frog to remain elevated above the ground. For
the particulars of this ingenious invention, we muft re-
157 fer to Coleman’s pamphlet. ^
foes for Where oxen are worked in farming bufinefs like
p. horfes, it is generally thought neceffary to defend their
hoofs in a iimilar manner by means of iron ihoes. The
form and manner of fitting thefe do not appear to be
univerfally the lame in all places ; nor are we acquaint¬
ed with the methods ufually pra&ifed. We know that
M. St Bel recommended the following methods j either
to Ihoe the ox with a flat plate of iron, having fix or
feven nail holes on the outer edge, accompanied with a
projection of four or five inches of iron at the toe, which
paffing the cleft of the foot, is bent over the hoof: or
with eight limes, one under each nail ; otherwife with
four, one undereach internal nail; or only two, one un¬
der the external nail of each fore-foot.
Ch AP. II. Of Cqfting.
fling* There arc feveral tedious and painful operations
that we are fometimes obliged to perform, and which
it would be difficult or impoffibie to execute, were the
animal left at full liberty to refill us. It is, therefore,
neceflary to render ourfelves completely mailers of him,
by throwing him down on the ground, and in a conve¬
nient fituation, fo as not to expofe him or ourfelves to
injury. This operation is called cajhng, and is ufually
thus performed.
The firlt objeCl is to prepare a thick bed of llraw or
litter, not lefs than eight feet fquare, to prevent the
animal from being hurt in the fall. If the liable be
fufficiently large to admit of the bed being made there,
it is to be preferred, as, during the operation, to pre¬
pare for which calling is neceffary, the parts operated
on will fuffer lefs from expofure to the air in the liable,
than without doors.
But, if there is not room in the liable, the bed mull
be made in the liable-yard, or rather, if poffible, in fome
field or park adjoining.
The animal is now to be brought to one fide of the
bed ; a llrong leather llrap, with a buckle at one end,
and having an iron ring fixed to it, at a convenient dif-
tance from the buckle, is to be fixed round the pallern
of each of the four legs, in fuch a way, that the rings
of the llraps that are round the fore-feet ffiall be di¬
rected backwards, and thofe of the llraps on the hind-
feet ffiall be oppolite to thefe ; while the buckles point
outwards, to prevent hurting the animal. A pretty
ftrong cord, ten or twelve feet long, is to be faltened
to the ring of that (trap that has been placed on the
fore-foot on that fide of the animal which is fartheft
from the bed : from this ring it is to pafs through the
ring on the hind foot, on the fame fide, from which it
paffes through the ring on the other hind-foot, then
through the ring on the other fore-foot, and lallly,
through that to which it was firll fallened. The a-
nimal being thus fettered, a number of men are to place
themfelves befide him, fo that he may be between them
and the bed, while others are to Hand on the oppofite
fide of the litter. Now, the men that are befide the
I E R Y. 45i
animal, laying hold of the end of the rope, are to pull Operations,
gradually with confiderable force, fo as to bring the —y——
four feet of the animal as near as poffible together.
When this is done, the men on the other fide, Handing
in a row, one at the head of the animal, another at his
died, a third at his haunches, a fourth at his tail, &c.
pull the animal toward them and complete his fall.
It is neceffary to obferve that the men who pull the
rope, and thofe who receive the animal on the bed, mutt
not aCt at the fame time; as in this cafe the ffiock
would be fo great and fudden, as probably to oceafion
fome accident, either to the men or to the animal. It
is alio proper to remark, that the animal mull be call
in fueh a manner, that the part to be operated on may
be fully in the view and reach of the operator.
When the animal is once on the bed, his head mud
be held down by a man, and it will be proper to cover
his eyes. Another affidant mud dand by the cord,
which for greater fecurity, Ihould be iadened with a
knot at the fird ring.
There are fome little niceties to be obferved in cad-
ing an animal, according to the operation that is in¬
tended to be performed on him ; but of thefe we ffiall
fpeak, when we defcribe the operations themfelves.
Chap. III. Of Bleeding.
159
Bleeding is didinguiffied into general and local. Bleeding.
General bleeding is performed for the purpofe of taking
away a quantity of blood from the general mafs, and
confids in opening fome large vein, or fome confider¬
able branch of an artery. The vein ufually opened, in
horfes and cattle, is the vein that runs along the neck,
and which is called the jugular vein. This vein may
be eafily felt, as it is generally confiderably raifed above
the mufcles.
The vein is ufually opened by means of a fleam, which
is forced into the vein, by driking it with a fmall wooden
mallet, called by farriers a blood-flick. There are many
objections to this mode of bleeding. In the fird place,
it is extremely clumfy ; and, if the vein happens to
roll, which is very commonly the cafe, a large wound
may be made in the Ikin, without drawing blood.
Again, thefe animals, efpecially horfes, are eafily fright¬
ened by any fudden motion of the hand ; and fome per-
fons have a way of ffiaking the blood-dick before they
give the droke; and, in doing this, they often ufe more
exertion than is neceffary. The animal alarmed at
thefe drange motions, tofles up his head, and thus ren¬
ders the droke uncertain.
Many prefer the ordinary lancet ufed by furgeons;
and, in feveral cafes, particularly of local bleeding,
this is the mod convenient indrument. But in open¬
ing the jugular vein, we do not confider it as much
fuperior to the common fleam. When this latter is
employed, the back of it ffiould be made of confider¬
able thicknefs, as, when it is too narrow, as is commonly
the cafe, when the indrument is druck with the dick, it
finks into the channel of the vein, which is often not open¬
ed, as the prominent mufcles of the neck receive the droke.
For mod purpofes of bleeding, we would recommend
the fpring-fleam, as being eafily applied, and mucli I<^0 ,
more certain m its ettect. tiling a li¬
lt is a common pra6lice with grooms and farriers, gature
to tie a rope or other ligature about the neck of the about the
3 L 2 animal,neck>