FEEDING. 343 



Pease are still more nutritive tlian bcaus ; but should 

 never be given unbruised, being difficult to grind bj the 

 horse, in consequence of their round form. Tliej are fre- 

 quently swallowed quite whole bj the horse, and when an 

 undue quantity has been given, the most injurious conse- 

 quences have happened to the animals, especially if much 

 water is given soon after being fed with them. Instances 

 have occurred where the stomach has burst by the swelling 

 of pease in the stomach. 



On the continent, barley is a common food of the horse. 

 It contains more nourishment than oats ; yet it does not 

 seem so well adapted for the food of the horse as oats, ex- 

 cept Avhere the animals are hard worked. It has been 

 found that horses fed on barley are more liable to be aifected 

 v/ith complaints of an inflammatory character, and likeAvise 

 to mange and surfeit. In Britain, farmers have been known 

 to feed their horses on unsound and unsaleable barley, 

 which in many instances has produced serious maladies. In 

 the form of mashes, barley is found to be advantageous, 

 from its stimulating properties ; but we certainly do not 

 approve of it as a general food. 



Tares are valuable in their gi'een state in the early part 

 of summer, as they possess medicinal properties, as well as 

 being very nutritive. In the event of horses having surfeit- 

 lumps, green tares, to the extent of ten or twelve pounds 

 daily, cut up and mixed with the chaiF, will be found 

 to remove them very quickly. 



It has been satisfactorily proved that tares have not the 

 effect of producing a rough coat, although this opinion still 

 exists with many persons. 



Carrots form an excellent food for the horse when mixed 

 with the chaff in the proportion of half-a-bushel a day, and 

 excluding the oats and beans. With this quantity, or not 



