A Virginia horseman once advised the writer that tail rubbing could quickly be cured if, at the outset, the following simple plan of treatment be adopted: Twist a lock of the upright hair of the affected part around the second finger, and then pull until the skin “gives” with a cracking sound. Repeat the pulling, lock by lock, until all of the part has been treated when the rubbing will cease. If it does not do so promptly, repeat the treatment as required. This plan is known also in Scotland. Another horseman advised that when a mare persistently rubs her tail the cause may be a collection of filth about the udder; a thorough washing with castile soap will end the trouble. Dealers who handle fine carriage horses and are preparing such animals for sale put each in a box stall during the feeding process and prevent tail rubbing by putting a wide plank shelf-wise on brackets around the inside of the walls of the box. When the horse attempts to rub, the edge of the plank will strike several inches below the itching part, and so make tail rubbing impossible. Another effective plan of prevention is to put a wainscot of boards upon the lower part of the walls so slanted outward at the floor surface that the horse backing to the wall cannot get his rump against any surface upon which to rub. A Cruel Cure for Heaves. An old horseman once told the writer that he had cured many a horse of heaves by simply amputating a portion of the tongue. “Guess I’ve cut off enough pieces of tongue,” said he, “to fill a half bushel basket;” and he seemed to take pride in a statement which would strike any humanitarian as the climax of barbarity. The same man also strongly advocated the amputation of the tip of a horse’s tail, when for any reason the animal had gone down paralyzed. It always is well to examine a horse’s tongue before buying, as mutilations are not infrequently met with. Cases are on record where a brute has put a twitch on a horse’s tongue, to make him stand still in the shoeing shop, with the result that a portion of the organ has been torn off during the struggles of the poor beast. Severe biting of a fractious horse, or tearing by a nail or other sharp object, may also injure the tongue more or less severely and perhaps lessen the value of the animal. When a considerable portion of the tongue has been lost, the horse is unable to drink without plunging his head up to the eyes in the water, and he also has difficulty in grazing. Stitches are sometimes put in the tongue of a horse to make it sore and so prevent it from cribbing. An Astringent for Scours. The following interesting remedy is taken from the “Complete Farrier,” published in 1850: