Young's Demonstrative Translation of Scientific Secrets Part 18

346. CONDITION POWDERS

Take of flax-seed meal 2 lbs., finygreek meal 2 lbs., liver antimony 1/2 lb., and nitre 1/2 lb., mix well; give a tablespoon for three days and omit three days, &c.

347. FOR BONE SPAVIN

Take of cantharides 2 oz., strong mercurial ointment 4 oz., oil of turpentine 4 oz., iodine 3 oz., mix all with a sufficiency of lard to make a thin ointment; apply to the spavin only once a day until it bursts; then oil it with sweet oil until healed. If the bunch is not then removed, apply it again, and again if necessary, which is seldom the case.

348. TO MAKE A HORSE FOLLOW YOU

The horse is treated in the same manner as mentioned in the receipt No. 305, always being careful to whip him on the hips. When he will follow you round the barn floor, then treat him in the same manner in a yard, and when he follows you here, he will any place.

349. COLTS CHEWING HALTERS

Take scab from the wart on the inside of the leg, rub the halter thoroughly with it, and they will not be found chewing their halters very soon.

[There are two consecutive receipts numbered 350 in the original.]

350. HORSES JUMPING FENCES

Pa.s.s a small and strong cord around his body just behind his shoulders, and tie the halter to this cord between his forelegs, so as to leave the distance about two feet from the cord to his head; if then he attempts to jump, he is compelled to throw his head forward, which draws hard on the cord, and causes it to cut into his back, and he instantly desists. The cord should not be more than a quarter of an inch in diameter.

350. BLAZE OR STAR

When we have a pair of horses that match well in every respect, except that one has a blaze or star on the face, it becomes very interesting and important to know how to make their faces match.

Take a piece of oznaburgs the size you want the star or blaze; spread it with warm pitch and apply it to the horses face; let it remain two or three days, by which time it will bring off the hair clean, and make the part a little tender; then take of elixor vitriol a small quant.i.ty, anoint the part two or three times; or, take of a very common weed called asmart, a small handful, bruise it, and add to it about a gill of water, use it as a wash until the face gets well, when the hair will grow out entirely white.

351. BLACK SPOTS

To spot a white horse with black spots, take litharge 3 oz., quick lime 6 oz., beat fine and mix together; put it into a pan and pour a sharp ley over it; then boil it and you will have a fat substance swim on top, with which anoint the horse in such places as you design to have black, and it will turn to the colour immediately.

352. INFLUENZA OR HORSE-AIL

The first symptom is debility. The horse appears dumpish, refuses to eat, mouth hot, in six or twelve hours the appet.i.te diminishes, legs and eyelids swell. This disease may end in chronic cough, a bad discharge from the nose, and in inveterate cases in glanders.

Treatment--Keep the horse on light food, as mashes, scalded shorts, green gra.s.s, &c., and if he is very plethoric, he should be half starved and bled from the mouth. If the throat is sore, rub it with warm vinegar and salt, or blister; walk him a little for exercise, administer the following: oil of croton, 5 drops; nitrate of pota.s.sa 4 to 6 drachms; pota.s.sio-tartrate of antimony, 1 drachm; spirit of nitric ether, 4 drachms to 1 oz; solution of acetate of ammonia 2 to 4 ozs.; and warm water sufficient to make a draught; and when the head is much affected, add a drachm of camphor. This draught may be administered once and sometimes twice a day, the croton oil being omitted after the first dose; after the first day, 2 drachms of powdered gentian may be added.

353. STRANGLES OR HORSE DISTEMPER

Symptoms--A discharge from the nostrils, with a swelling under the throat, a disinclination to eat. Thirst, but after a gulp or two the horse ceases to drink. In attempting to swallow, a convulsive cough comes on; mouth hot and tongue coated with a white fur. The tumor under the jaw soon fills the whole s.p.a.ce, and is evidently one uniform body, and may thus be distinguished from glanders or the enlarged glands of catarrh.

Treatment--Blister over the tumor at once; when the glands remain hard and do not suppurate, it may lead to glanders, in which case rub it with iodine ointment, and give internally, hydriodate of potash in daily doses of 10 to 40 grains, combined with gentian and ginger. As soon as the swelling is fit, lance it freely and apply a linseed poultice; give bran mashes, fresh gra.s.s, &c.

354. STAGGERS

Symptoms--Giddiness, he may fall down, or suddenly turn several times round first; he may be quiet, or struggle violently.

Treatment--If the horse be full and well fed, take 3 or 4 quarts of blood at once; cease using him for a time, and give him an occasional physic ball or powdered aloes 6 drachms and a little in honey.

355. GREEN OINTMENT

Take of lard, 6 lbs., put into a ten gallon kettle; add 2 gallons of water; cut jimpson seeds and fill them in, and cook from 4 to 6 hours slowly, till all the water is gone; then put into jars, and add to each pound of ointment one ounce of turpentine. Good for galls, cuts, scratches, &c.

356. HOOF EVIL OR THRUSH GREASE HEELS

Bleed and physic, and poultice the feet with boiled turnips and some finely ground charcoal at night, for two or three nights; then wash the feet clean with castile soap and soft water, and apply the blue ointment every day; keep the horse on a floor and he will be well in 12 days.

357. BLUE OINTMENT

Take the ointment of rosin, 4 ozs; finely ground verdigris, 1/2 oz; turpentine, 2 oz; mutton tallow, 2 lbs; oil of origanum, 1/2 oz; tincture of iodine, 1/2 oz. Mix all together. This is one of the best medicines that can be made for scratches, hoof-evil, and cuts, and is good to apply on fistula after the rowels have been taken out. It is as good for human as horse flesh.

358. HOOF BOUND OR TENDER FEET

Never have the feet spread at the heels, nor rasped about the nail holes; use the liquid, and apply it according to directions. For hoof bound or tender feet, apply it all around the top of the hoof down one inch every day. First have a stiff shoe on the foot, and cleanse the cut or cork. Never cut or burn for it.

359. HOOF LIQUID

Take of linseed or neatsfoot oil, 1/2 a pint; turpentine, 4 oz; oil of tar, 6 oz; origanum, 3 oz; mix and shake well together.

360. HOOF AIL

Apply blue vitriol, and put on a tarred rag to keep out the dirt.

361. BIG, OR MILK LEG

Apply the liquid blister every there hours until it blisters; then in six hours grease with soft oil of any kind; then in eight days wash the part clean, and apply it again. Repeat it there or four times, then use the iodine ointment. If this does not remove it all, apply the ringbone and spavin medicine, this will remove it all.

362. IODINE OINTMENT

Get 1 oz. of the grease iodine, put in 1 pint of alcohol; let this stand in the sun two days, and you have the tincture of iodine. Take 2 oz. of the tincture and 1/2 lb. of lard; mix well, and you have the iodine ointment.