^^^^•] Effects of Grass on Colts. 249 



been attained. But that is a very fallacious impression. Let any per- 

 son who is skeptical on this point, ride a horse in the summer, who has 

 just been taken out of a grass, along with another kept on hay and corn, 

 at the moderate rate of seven or eight miles in the hour; the grass-fed 

 horse will sweat profusely, while the other will bb perfectly dry. This 

 proves that the system of the one eating grass over-abounds with fat and 

 those portions of the blood which are destined to f -rm that deposit. 



" Those who will advocate grazing, will no doubt exclaim, 'Oh this is 

 a test of condition, which is not required in young and growing animals.' 

 I beg to state, that it is highly important, if the acme of condition is to 

 be attained by animals of mature age. that the growth and gradual 

 development of their frames should be composed of those healthy and 

 vigorous elements, upon which the structure of future condition can be 

 raised. Animal substances are, to a very great extent, subservient to 

 the nature and quality of the food with which the individuals are nour- 

 ished. 1 believe farmers would find it much to their advantage, if they 

 were to consider this subject with reference to feeding cattle and sheep, 

 so that they might select those kinds of food which abound with proper' 

 tics more conducive to the production of flesh than fat. There is no 

 kind of food which the horse consumes which has not a tendency to 

 deposit fat. It is a substance which must exist to a certain extent ; but 

 as it is muscular power, not a predisposition to adipose rotundity, which 

 enhances the value of the animal, the reasons are obvious what guide 

 should be taken in the selection of food. 



"I have, on a former occasion, hinted the propriety of bruising the 

 oats, and I will now state my reasons for doing so. The first I will 

 mention is economy. Three bushels of oats, which have undergone that 

 process, are equivalent to four which have not, and the animals which 

 consume them derive greater benefit. Various schemes are adopted to 

 induce horses to masticate their corn, all of which are inefiec-tual. Scat- 

 tering them thinly over the surface of a spacious manger, mixing a hand- 

 ful of cut hay or straw with each feed, and such like devicesrwill not 

 cajrde the animal to the performance of mastication. A horse that is 

 disposed to bolt his corn, however carefully it may be spread along his 

 manger, will soon learn to drive it into a heap with his nose, and collect 

 as much with his lips as he thinks fit, before he be-ins to masticate. 

 A^hatever food enters the stomach of any animal, and passes away in an 

 undigested form, may be considered as so much dr.ss, or extraneous 

 matter, which, not having afforded nutriment, is prejudicial to the 

 creature which consumed it. A mistaken notion of economy is often the 

 incentive to turning horses out in summer, to be entirely dependent upon 



