100 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



balanced ration. There may be times when it becomes necessary to feod 

 straw, cornstalks, or other coarse, bulky food. It is not necessary that 

 you have a case of impaction just because these coarse fodders are used. 

 Combine with them some food of a loosening nature, such as bran, roots 

 or the like. Eight here let me say that I do not believe one-half of our 

 farmers know the value of bran as a horse food. So combine your feeds 

 that the material you have in hand will make a balanced ration. The 

 great tendency is 'to feed too much hay or coarse fodders. It is not 

 necessary that a horse have hay continually before him. 



COLIC. 



One of the most common troubles we have to handle is the colics, 

 those irritations along the alimentary tract which cause more or less 

 severe pain. These are of two kinds, spasmodic and flatulent. The 

 first is a severe contraction, usually of the small intestines, accompanied 

 with severe pains. The usual cause of this is some intestinal irritant, 

 and the wise course to pursue is to give a purge and get rid of this 

 irritant. Aloes is the best horse purge we have. One ounce of pulver- 

 ized Barbadoes aloes, combined with a dram of ginger, or one quart 

 of raw linseed oil, will answer the purpose. Owing to the diflSculty of 

 giving the ball of aloes, the oil is generally preferred. The pain may have 

 to be controlled until the purge moves the irritant. Do not give any 

 medicine that will constipate, or tie up the bowels, such as opium, but 

 give some anodyne that has no effect on the purgative which ought to 

 have been given. Fluid extract of Cannibis Indica in teaspoonful doses 

 repeated in one hour if necessary, will be found very serviceable. 



Flatulent or windy colic is caused by the fermentation of undigested 

 food. This is recognized by the heavy bloat. In such cases give the 

 purge to rid the bowels of this undigested food and then give something 

 to counteract the gas. Your wife's dish of common cooking soda should 

 be drawn from. Give in large doses, two tablespoonfuls in water. If 

 this fails to relieve, you may have to tap in order to bring immediate 

 relief. Select the right side of the horse. Be sure you are right on the 

 horse and left on the cow. Locate the following points: the point of 

 the hip, the last rib, and the end of the short ribs, and strike inside of 

 triangle formed by these three points. When the knife is plunged deeply 

 into this part, a tube or something must be put in in order to keep the 

 part open for the escape of gas, 



CHOKING. 



Another difficulty that arises, especially in the fall, is choking — the 

 lodgment of some foreign material in the aisophagus, somewhere between 

 mouth and stomach. Nature intended this material to go into the stom- 

 ach, so simply take a piece of common garden hose and run it down 

 the throat until the obstruction is reached, and then push it gently into 

 the stomach. If you want to help your horse well on its journey to 

 horse heaven, just put a block on one side of the obstruction and hit the 

 obstruction with a mallet and I will vouch that you have helped him 

 along a good bit. 



