44 



a small amount of hay, perhaps one-fifth or one-sixth of the daily 

 ration of hay and one-third of the grain in the morning, and about 

 the same at noon. This leaves a greater quantity of the hay and 

 one-third of the grain for the evening meal. 



It has been found of great importance to give no more food at 

 a meal than satisfies the appetite. The preparation of the food 

 consists in mixing in the desired proportion the hay cut and the grain 

 ground. It has been found of some advantage to dampen the feed 

 as this prevents the horse breathing dust and renders the mixing 

 more uniform. 



For horses at hard work, clean, well-cured timothy hay is liked 

 best, but very little objection is made to an admixture of clover. 

 Alfalfa hay is highly valuable, more particularly for idle horses which 

 will keep in good flesh upon it, without grain. Corn fodder, grown 

 thicker in a row than for silage, makes good winter feed for idle 

 horses about equal to average hay. It is economical because so 

 large a yield can be grown on an acre of land. 



Experiments were made to find out the cheapest satisfactory 

 grain ration for horses. When barley is cheaper per pound than 

 oats, it may be safely used to occupy one-third of the ration along 

 with two-thirds of oats. A higher percentage of barley has been 

 found to cause digestive and other ailments. When corn is cheaper 

 than oats, it was found advantageous to feed it with oats in the 

 proportion of one-half of each food. 



A considerable economy was effected in feeding bran when this 

 food was materially cheaper than oats. The most satisfactory pro- 

 portion was oats and bran in equal parts by weight. With bran 

 at $15 per ton and oats at $25 per ton, the substitution of bran for 

 half of the oats made a saving of from $10 to $12 per year on the 

 feed of one horse, and the horses were as strong and fit for their 

 work as those fed on oats alone as the grain ration. 



Many other experiments have been made with horses at the 

 Experimental Farms, but those related have been selected for their 

 exceedingly practical bearing upon the operation of the average 

 Canadian farm. 



VENTILATION. 



For many years, the ventilation of stock barns was under 

 careful experiment. Many recommended and suggested systems 

 were put into operation in horse stables, cattle stables and hog 

 pens, and the results were carefully compared. The object was 



