36 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



Chemical and microscopic examination will frequently be neces- 

 sary in order to detect the presence of certain poisons, bacteria, etc., 

 and can, of course, be conducted by experts only. 



FOODS AND FEEDING. 



In this place one can not attempt anything like a comprehensive 

 discussion of the subject of foods and feeding, and I must content my- 

 self with merely giving a few facts as to the different kinds of food, 

 preparation, digestibility, proper time of feeding, quality, and quan- 

 tity. Improper feeding and watering will doubtless account for over 

 one-half of the digestive disorders met with in the horse, and hence 

 the reader can not fail to see how very important it is to have some 

 proper ideas concerning these subjects. 



KINDS OF FOOD. 



In this country horses are fed chiefly upon hay, grass, corn fodder, 

 roots, oats, corn, wheat, and rye. Many think that they could be fed 

 on nothing else. Stewart, in " The Stable Book," gives the following 

 extract from Loudon's Encyclopedia of Agriculture, which is of 

 interest at this point : 



In some sterile countries they [horses] are forced to subsist ou dried fish, and 

 even on vegetable mold ; in Arabia, on milk, flesh balls, eggs, broth. In India 

 horses are variously fed. The native grasses are judged vei'y nutritious. Few, 

 perhaps no. oats are grown ; barley is rare, and not commonly given to horses. 

 In Bengal a vetch, something like the tare, is used. On the western side of 

 India a sort of pigeon pea, called gram (Cicer arietinum), forms the ordinarj' 

 food, with grass while in season, and hay all the year round. Indian cox'n or 

 rice is seldom given. In the West Indies maize, guinea corn, sugar-corn tops, 

 and sometimes molasses are given. In the Mahratta country salt, pepper, and 

 other spices are made into balls, with flour and butter, and these are supposed 

 to produce animation and to fine the coat. Broth made from sheep's head is 

 sometimes given. In France, Spain, and Italy, besides the grasses, the leaves 

 of limes, vines, the tops of acacia, and the seeds of the carob tree are given to 

 horses. 



For information as to the nutritive value, chemistry, and classifica- 

 tion of the different kinds of food, I will refer the reader to Jordan's 

 or Armsby's book on feeding animals, or to " Smith's Veterinary 

 Hygiene." 



We can not, however, leave aside entirely here a consideration of 

 the digestibility of foods; and by this we mean the readiness with 

 which foods undergo those changes in the digestive canal that fit 

 them for absorption and deposition as integral parts of the animal 

 economy. 



The age and health of the animal will, of course, modify the diges- 

 tibility of foods, as will also the manner and time of harvesting, pre- 

 serving, and preparing the foods. 



In the horse digestion takes place principally in the intestines, and 

 here, as in all other animals and with all foods, it is found that a 



