4ia 



EX-PERIMEMAL FARMS 



5 GEORGE v., A. 1915 



EXPERIMENTAL STATION, CAP ROUGE, QUE. 



FvEPORT OF THE SUPERINTEcIDENT. GUS. A. LANGELIEK. 



HORSEvS. 



We now have seventeen horses at the Station: 12 registered French Canadians — 

 nine mares, two yearling fillies, one colt — two teams of from 2,GQ0 to 2,900 ponnds 

 weight, and a driver of ahout 1,000 pounds. They have all been, and are now, in vovy 

 good condition. 



During the year, fourteen of these horses, leaving the colts out, worked daring 

 23,190-5 hour.": as follows: — 



Hours. 



Farm work 8,049.5 



Care of stock (hauling: feed, etc.) 1,392-5 



Care of grounds (including: roads) 877. 



Horticulture '. 1.222. 



Drawing manure 6,050-5 



]Mc.s.senger service 3,306-5 



Exhibitions 505. 



Draining (hauling tiles, ploughing) -^ 523- 



Implements and tools 37.5 



Blacksmithing, harness, carriages 39-5 



Apiary 25. 



Clearing land 2. 



Buildings (hauling material) 914. 



Fuel (hauling wood and coal) 193-5 



Fencing 51. 



Waterworks (hauling pipes, etc.) 2. 



23,190-5 



EXPERIMENT — WINTERING A HORSE AT LOW COST. 



As a great many farmers keep more horses than they can utilize during the winter, 

 it has seemed advisable to try to find a ration which, while of low cost, maintains the 

 animal in good health and leaves him enough energy to perform the spring's work 

 with celerity. In theory, 1 pound of mixed grass, 1 pound^of oat straw, and 1 pound 

 of swedes or carrots per 100 pounds of horse, should about maintain the weight of the 

 animal when he is idle. In other words, this is, according to feeding tables, a good 

 maintenance ration. The hay and straw furnish plenty of bulk to distend the diges- 

 tive tract, whilst the roots cool all the system and add succulence and palatability to 

 the ration. 



It is agreeable to note that practice goes hand in hand with theory in this case, 

 as we have tried this ration for three winters with great success. Not only have the 

 animals increased their weight in 1911-12 and 1912-13, but they performed their work 

 all through spring and summer in a way which plainly showed that they were in per- 

 fect physical condition. ]\[oreover, one of tlicse animals, a gelding which was subject 

 to frequent attacks of mild colic or bad indigestion, never evidenced the least troul^le 

 fiom this source since he was put through the experiment. A reasonable explanation 

 of this would be that tlie digestive tract, overworked by the constant high feeding 

 of grain necessary to produce the required energy to do heavy work, gets a much 

 needed rest and is in good shape in the spring. 



During the winter of 191-3-11:, we used a pure-bred Frencli Canadian mare for this 

 experiment. On November 1, 1913, she weighed 1,150 pounds, and on April 1, 191-1, 



