400 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
work. This must never be done. If a horse is completely jaded, it will 
be found beneficial to give him an alcoholic stimulant on going into the 
stable. A small quantity of hay may then be given, but his grain should 
be withheld for one or two hours. These same remarks will apply with 
equal force to the horse that for any reason has been fasting for a long 
time. After a fast, feed less than the horse would eat; for if allowed 
too much the stomach becomes engorged, its walls paralyzed and "colic" 
is almost sure to follow. The horse should be fed three or four times a 
day. It will not answer to feed him entirely upon concentrated food. 
Bulky food must be given to dettain the grains in their passage through 
the intestinal tract; bulk also favors distention, and thus mechanically 
aid absorption. For horses that do slow work for the greater part of 
the time, chopped or cut hay fed with crushed oats, ground corn, et©., 
is the best manner of feeding, as it gives the required bulk, saves time, 
and half the labor of feeding. 
Sadden changes of diet are always dangerous. When desirous of 
changing the food, do so very gradually. If a horse is accustomed to 
oats, a sudden change to a full meal of corn will almost always sicken 
him. If we merely intend to increase the quantity of the usual feed, this 
also must be done gradually. The quantity of food given must always be 
in proportion to the amount of labor to be performed. If a horse is to 
do a small amount of work, or rest, entirely from work for a few days, 
see that he receives a proportionate amount of feed. If this should be 
observed even on Saturday sight and Sunday, there would be fewer cases 
of "Monday morning sickness," such as colics and lymphangitis. 
Foods should also be of a more laxative nature when the horse is to 
stand for some days. 
Musty or Moldy Foods. — Above all things, avoid feeding musty or 
moldy foods. These are very frequent causes of disease of different kinds. 
Lung trouble, such as bronchitis and "heaves," often follows the use of 
such food. The digestive organs always suffer from moldy or musty 
foods. Musty hay is generally considered to produce disorder of the 
kidneys; and all know of the danger to pregnant animals from feeding 
upon ergotized grasses or grains. It has often been said to produce that 
peculiar disease known variously as cerebro-spinal meningitis, putrid sore 
throat, or choking distemper. 
Leaving these somewhat general considerations, I will refer briefly 
to the different kinds of foods: 
fl'ay.— The best hay for horses is timothy. It should be about one 
year old, of a greenish color, crisp, clean, fresh, and possessing a sweet, 
pleasant aroma. Even this hay, if kept for too great a length of time, 
loses part of its nourishment, and, while it may not be positively injurious, 
it is hard, dry, and indigestible. New hay is difiicult to digest, produces 
much salivation (slobbering) and occasional purging and irritation of 
the skin. If fed at all, it should be mixed with old hay. 
Second Crop, or Aftermath.— This is not considered good hay for horses, 
but it is prized by some farmers as a good food for milch cows, the claim 
being made that it increases the flow of milk. The value of hay depends 
upon the time of cutting, as well as care in curing. Hay should be cut 
