240 THE HORSE. 
Sometimes cut straw, steamed potatoes, and the meal of oats and beans 
are given, as being the most economical kind of food. The horses are fed 
three times a day, each time receiving fifteen pounds of food, thus— 
In the morning at 6 o’clock, 4lbs. of oat and bean meal, 11]bs of chaff. 
At noon, 3lbs. of oat and bean meal, 12lbs. of chaff. 
At night, 2lbs. of oat and bean meal, 2lbs. of chaff, and 11bs. of steamed potatoes, 
In Scotland these horses are kept out-of-doors, or soiled in-doors till 
October, when they are put upon hard food, receiving 1 ewt. of hay and 
a bushel and a half of corn weekly till December, when the hay is re- 
pladed by straw, and the oats are reduced one half. In February 1} ewt. 
of hay, and a bushel and a half of oats are again given, and this 1s con- 
tinued till June, when they are fed on grass with a small allowance of 
corn. 
BEDDING. 
THE BED is generally composed of wheat straw, of which that thrashed 
by hand is by far the most durable, lasting nearly twice as long if pro- 
perly kept clean as the same quality thrashed by machine. Barley straw 
is eaten by most horses almost as readily as hay, and, therefore, it is kept 
as fodder for farm horses and cattle. It is excellent for cutting into 
chaff, especially when there is much clover grown with it. Besides wheat 
straw, sand, saw-dust, tan, forest leaves and bean straw are used either 
where economy is studied, or for some particular reason. I shall, there- 
fore, have something to say about each of these materials. 
Wueat Srraw is by far the most general material for the horse’s bed, 
and in private stables it may be considered as the only one used. It 
should be selected for its length, and the size and stoutness of its stalks, 
taking care that it is quite dry, but not so much so as to be brittle. It is 
tied up in trusses, or “ boltings,” as they are called in the Midland dis- 
tricts, which weigh about thirty-six pounds each. ‘Two of these ought to 
serve for a week, after the bed is once made, which will require from two 
to three trusses, according to the size of the stall or loose-box. Unless 
the straw is properly shaken up and smoothly laid, the horse is not made 
comfortable, but lies with uneven lumps under him, which he cannot 
scratch into shape, like a dog. Hence, the good groom takes great trouble 
with his horses’ beds, and having first laid the old litter smoothly all over 
the stall, as far as the back drain, he spreads on the surface with his fork 
either the cleanest part of the former night’s bed, or a fresh truss, according 
to circumstances. The straw should be raised against the travis or wall 
on each side, so that the horse in lying down has his back protected by it, 
the sharp spinous processes of the vertebra being uncovered by anything 
but skin, and causing considerable pain when pressed against the hard 
wood or iron. The straw is also turned under at the lower end, so as 
to present a neat appearance to the eye, as well as to afford comfort to the 
horse. In the morning the wet and dirty parts are forked out, and the 
remainder turned back and pressed tightly under the manger, or it is put 
into some other convenient place, where it can be dried, which latter plan 
is an excellent one in point of economy and comfort. When the litter is 
thus disposed of, the whole surface of the floor is carefully swept, the dirt 
being shovelled back into the gangway, and finally removed from the 
stable. A little clean straw is then thinly spread over the stall, and left 
with a level edge behind the heels of the horse, where natty grooms put 
a border of plaited straw. During the day the droppings are collected in 
