not so certain in
its effect, is to make a decoction of tobacco, say about one pound of
the stems to two gallons of water, boiled until the strength is
extracted from the weed, and when cool enough, bathe the mule well with
it from head to foot, let him dry off, and do not curry him for a day or
two. Then curry him well, and if the itching appear again, repeat the
bathing two or three times, and it will produce a cure. The same
treatment will apply in case of lice, which frequently occurs where
mules are kept in large numbers. Mercury should never be used in any
form, internally or externally, on an animal so much exposed as the
mule.

GREASE-HEEL.

Clean the parts well with castile-soap and warm water. As soon as you
have discovered the disease, stop wetting the legs, as that only
aggravates it, and use ointment made from the following substances:
Powdered charcoal, two ounces; lard or tallow, four ounces; sulphur, two
ounces. Mix them well together, then rub the ointment in well with your
hand on the affected parts. If the above is not at hand, get gunpowder,
some lard or tallow, in equal parts, and apply in the same manner. If
the animal be poor, and his system need toning up, give him plenty of
nourishing food, with bran mash mixed plentifully with the grain. Add a
teaspoonful of salt two or three times a day, as it will aid in keeping
the bowels open. If the stable bottoms, or floors, or yards are filthy,
see that they are properly cleaned, as filthiness is one of the causes
of this disease. The same treatment will apply to scratches, as they are
the same disease in a different form.

To avoid scratches and grease-heel during the winter, or indeed at any
other season, the hair on the mule's heels should never be cut. Nor
should the mud, in winter season, be washed off, but allowed to dry on
the animal's legs, and then rubbed off with hay or straw. This washing,
and cutting the hair off the legs, leave them without any protection,
and is, in many cases, the cause of grease-heel and scratches.

SHOES, SHOEING, AND THE FOOT.

The foot, its diseases, and how to shoe it properly, is a subject much
discussed among horsemen. Nearly every farrier and blacksmith has a way
of his own for curing diseased feet, and shoeing. No matter how absurd
it may be, he will insist that it has merits superior to all others, and
it would be next to impossible to convince him of his error. Skillful
veterinarians now understand perfect