464 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



days, possibly, we notice the foal is ill and finally the navel disease 

 or infection develops and when it does, if a bad case, you might as 

 well knock the foal in the head. So therefore it becomes very 

 important that the causes for navel infection be obviated to the 

 greatest degree. After the foal comes and is safely on its feet, it 

 is but with little difficulty that we bring it along to the time when 

 it should be weaned. We feed our mares liberally during the time 

 they are nursing the foal. I think perhaps there is no way in 

 which you can invest money so profitably as by feeding the mother 

 liberally while the foal is following her. The foal will begin to eat 

 crushed or whole oats at an early age, and should be given these 

 in abundance. It is a very good plan too, if possible, to teach it to 

 drink a little cow's milk. Now I do not advocate the use of milk 

 except in moderation. I am sure, although I will not lay this down 

 as a law, that a colt may be easily ruined by over-feeding of milk. 

 I am quite certain, that recently, within two years, I practically 

 set back a colt that I was raising for show twenty-five per cent 

 by overfeeding him milk. He got so fat that his back went down ; 

 when it came time to show him I could see that he was overdone 

 and I am quite sure I overcrowded him by the too liberal feeding 

 of rich milk, so therefore I would not advise too liberal feeding of 

 milk, and I think it more safe to feed the weanling skim milk than 

 whole milk. We must use feed high in protein, so as to build up 

 bone and muscle and make the colt not only large but give it that 

 fibre and strength essential to the making of clean bone. We feed 

 our colts through the wintertime after they are weaned, which is 

 at about four months of age, all they will eat of oats, bran and 

 clover hay. I don't mean by that that we turn them loose to the 

 feed bins, but we learn just about how much they will clean up 

 nicely and give to them practically all they will eat. 



A critical time in a colt's life is at the yearling age. I feed it 

 liberally as a yearling. We keep the yearlings thrifty and im- 

 proving all the time. We have found if we don't do that they 

 will get considerable setback during the summer of their yearling 

 form. Of course, after we get them through the yearling period 

 it is easy to get along with them after that. We feed little corn 

 to colts. I like to feed them some and do give them a limited 

 quantity. Of course we show some horses. Now, our system of 

 handling colts for show is quite different than the system used for 

 growing them out for the general market. They must have a 

 higher finish, must be in the pink of perfection, or else when you 

 lead them into the show ring in comparison with others you are 



