682 EXPEEIMENT STATION EECORD. 



In the first series the following five rations were tested: Hay, bran, corn, gluten 

 feed, 5:1:3:3; hay, bran, corn, oats, 5:1:3:4; hay, corn, and bran, 10:8:7; hay, com, 

 linseed-oil meal, 5:4:2; and hay, cotton-seed meal, bran, and corn, 10:1:2:8. Each 

 of the 5 horses included in the investigation received one of the rations for 1 month, 

 the rations being rotated, so that during the 5 months of the test each horse was fed 

 all the rations. Ration No. 1, which cost on an average 19.3 cts. per day, was regarded 

 as quite satisfactory. It W'as eaten with relish. One horse lost weight on it, while 2 

 gained somewhat and 2 remained in equilibrium. Ration No. 2, costing 22.5 cts. 

 per day, was the most expensive of those tested. Three of the horses lost in weight 

 on it, 1 gained, and 1 remained in equilibrium. The oats in the ration proved no 

 more satisfactory than the other concentrated feeding stuffs, either in respect to the 

 animal or the efficiency of the work. Had more been fed to keep the weight con- 

 stant, it would have materially affected the price of the ration. Ration No. 3, cost- 

 ing 20.4 cts. per day, was relished more than the others. Two of the horses gained, 1 

 lost, and 2 remained in equilibrium. In the author's opinion this ration was healthful, 

 palatable, and at the same time moderate in cost. Ration No. 4 cost 20 cts. per day. 

 Two of the horses lost somewhat in weight. The others made slight gains or remained 

 in equilibrium. Although the amount of oil meal fed per day was quite large, no bad 

 effects were noticed. Ration No. 5 was the least expensive, costing 17.4 cts. per 

 day. It was also the least bulky of the rations tested. Four of the horses remained 

 in equilibrium or made slight gains, while 1 lost a little in weight. The author 

 regards this ration as the least satisfactory, since none of the animals relished it at 

 first on account of the cotton-seed meal. In this series of tests the amount of work 

 varied from 103 to 240 hours per month. 



To further test these rations under similar conditions of climate and work, each 

 was fed to 1 horse for 1 month. The amount of work ranged from 209 to 314 hours. 

 In every case there was a gain in weight, showing, the author believes, that all the 

 rations were satisfactory and suited to the amount of work performed. At the close 

 of this period all the horses were fed the linseed-meal ration for some 6 weeks. For 

 about 9 weeks 3 of the horses were then fed rations Nos. 2, 3, and 5. During about 

 2 weeks the remaining 2 horses were fed rations Nos. 1 and 4. Their rations were 

 then reversed until the end of the period. In every case the conditions of work were 

 uniform. No marked variations in weight were observed. This, in the author's 

 opinion, shows that abrupt changes in the ration may be made without bad effects, 

 and that "there is no so-called single ration for horses. Any food stuff or combina- 

 tion of food stuffs that furnishes desiral)le nutrients at least cost should be considered 

 in the preparation of rations. " 



The comparative value of corn stover and timothy hay and of corn, oats, and 

 bran as jmrt of a ration was tested from January 26 to April 9. The rations fed con- 

 sisted of 12 lbs. of hay or corn stover alone, or with 14 lbs. of corn, oats, and bran 

 in different mixtures, the most usual one being made up of equal parts of 2 of 

 the grains. Four of the horses gained in weight and 1 remained practically in equi- 

 librium. Although corn stover costs one-third as much as timothy hay, the author 

 believes that it "has a feeding value, when fed either with corn and oats or corn 

 and bran in the proportions it has l)een here, equal to timothy hay, and also when 

 corn stover or timothy hay furnish the roughage of a ration, oats and corn half and 

 half, and bran and corn half and half, have, generally speaking, equivalent feeding 

 values." 



To learn whether it was possible to substitute other grains for oats during a 

 long period in summer feeding, the horses were continued on the grain rations 

 mentioned in the preceding paragraph until October 8, being fed in every case 12 

 lbs. of timothy hay per head daily. Three of the horses remained practically in 

 equilibrium as regards weight, while 2 gained somewhat. The results show, accord- 

 ing to the author, that bran, which is much the cheaper of the two, may be substi- 



