The Question Box. 145 



Question. — T am feeding ensilage and four quarts of oats, with 

 wheat and oat straw ; what shall I add ? 



1 )r. Curryer. — I should add a little oil meal. A little bran 

 added will also be beneficial. 



Question. — Will a few potatoes fed to a horse, three or four 

 times a day, with other foods, be injurious? 



Dr. Smead. — How "few?" A few potatoes, say, two quarts, 

 once a day, will not injure a horse, provided he relishes them. 

 The trouble will come, if any, from the raw starch in the potatoes, 

 which is quite indigestible. The parings are better than the 

 whole potato, as there is an element in the potato eye which is a 

 cathartic, and so acts as a vermifuge that destroys pin worm in 

 the horse. As many as four quarts of the parings may be fed, but 

 do it the first thing in the morning, before any other food is given. 

 But one must study individuality; one horse will not assimilate 

 and digest as much as will another. One horse will eat four quarts 

 of potatoes three times a day, while another will not eat them at all. 



Question. — What is the best grain food for a horse ? 



Dr. Curryer. — The best single grain for a horse is oats. For 

 a mixture, oats and corn is best. 



Question. — Which is the best to feed to horses, oat or wheat 

 straw ? 



Mr. Gould. — The oat straw is the better of the two. 



Mr. Smith. — When oats are cut while quite green, they make 

 about as good a food as does common timothy hay. 



Question. — What class of horses are wanted mostly for for- 

 eign markets? 



Dr. Smead. — Germany and England want cavalry horses. 

 England is also asking us for fine driving horses, which now 

 mostly come from the West. French coach and Cleveland bay are 

 being bought, as well as are the large draft horses. 



Question. — Is there anything in sight to indicate that the pro- 

 duction of high-class road and coach horses will be overdone? 



Mr. Smith. — I do not believe there is. There is a demand 

 in the market for good horses, and none at all for poor ones. 

 You have the example of Mr. Stevens here, who has very fine 

 horses, which he is rearing and selling at a profit. 



Dr. Smead. — We have sent 100,000 horses to Great Britain 

 since the breaking out of the Boer War, and Germany has sent 

 30 experts here to buy cavalry horses. Then, if you want a fine 

 horse from the Buffalo market, you will have to put your hand 

 deeply in your pocket if you get him; and it seems to mo a very 

 to 



