37 



bers of horses for the Chicago market. Though few, if any, experi- 

 ments have been carried on at the stations to show the feed required 

 per pound of gain, the relative cost of gain, etc., J. A. Craig and 

 H. W. Brettell,'' of the Iowa Station, have described this industry on ' 

 the basis of data gathered from local feeders extensively engaged in it. 



The horses are usually purchased in the fall, after the farm work is 

 over, and are stabled and fed an abundant ration, care being taken to 

 accustom them gradually to full feed in order to avoid colic. When on 

 full feed the horses studied were given, per head, 10 to 14 ears of corn 

 in the morning, at noon, and again at night, with 3 quarts of oats and 

 bran 1:2 and hay ad libitum in the middle of the forenoon and also in 

 the middle of the afternoon. Recognizing the importance of a long 

 period of rest, no feed was given from 6 or 7 at night until 5 o'clock 

 in the morning. The horses were watered twice a day and were given 

 all they would drink. On account of the large number fed, the horses 

 could not be exercised, but as a rule were kept idle in the stable until 

 a few days before they were marketed. To insure good condition it 

 was found advantageous to give 0.5-0.75 pint Glauber salts per head 

 twice a week. Oil meal, it is stated, may also be given to good advan- 

 tage, as it aids greatly in putting on flesh and also makes the skin soft. 



The importance of keeping mangers and feed boxes clean is insisted 

 upon, and attention is especially directed to the need of examining the 

 horses' teeth and removing with a float any sharp points which would 

 make the gums sore and thus prevent the horses from masticating their 

 feed properly. 



With such feeding and care satisfactory gains were generally real- 

 ized. In one instance, it is stated, a horse fed in this manner made a 

 gain of 5.5 pounds per day for a period of fifty days, or 550 pounds in 

 one hundred days. In several instances, with as many as a dozen 

 horses, a gain of 3.75 pounds per head per day was obtained through- 

 out a period of ninety days. 



WATERING HORSES. 



A discussion of the subject of watering horses should take into 

 account the reasons why water is needed, the amounts required, 

 the proper time for watering, and related topics. 



Horses, like other animals, require water to moisten their food so 

 that the digestive juices may permeate it readily, to dilute the blood 

 and other fluids of the body, and for other physiological uses. It 

 may be assumed that under any given normal condition the body con- 

 tains a definite amount of water. When any considerable amount 

 of water is lost from the body, a sensation of thirst is experienced, 

 showing that more water is needed to take its place. Practically all 



aBreeders' Gaz., 35 (1899), p. 781. 



