36 FARM ANIMALS 



almost pound for pound as a substitute for corn in 

 horse rations. In some cases it is not eaten so 

 readily as corn, but no especial precautions are 

 necessary in feeding it since it appears to be safe 

 and wholesome. 



Millet. Millet, especially when ground in the 

 form of a meal, is quite suitable as a part of 

 the grain rations for young, or developing horses. 

 It is somewhat more nitrogenous than oats but 

 has a smaller fat content. Some feeders have 

 found that millet is very desirable in producing 

 energy in work horses. In North Dakota, when 

 cut just before maturity and fed as the only coarse 

 forage to horses, millet after a considerable time 

 exercised a very injurious effect on the liver and 

 kidneys, causing increased action of the kidneys 

 followed by lameness, swelling and distortion of 

 the joints, softening of the bone tissue and death 

 in a number of cases. The causes of this effect 

 of millet are not well understood, particularly 

 since it has been extensively fed in many localities 

 without any such effects. 



Beans. -Beans of all kinds have been fed to 

 horses with excellent results in the production 

 of energy. Recently, Java beans, particularly 

 the wild ones, have been found to contain prussic 

 acid at times, but this is apparently not true of the 

 cultivated varieties. The nutritive value of beans 

 is very high and for this reason they should not 

 be used to replace any large proportion of the 

 usual grain ration of working horses. The com- 

 mon variety used for feeding purposes is horse 

 beans. Paris cab companies have used this bean 

 extensively and recommend that when fed to 

 replace a part of the oats in the ration one pound 

 of beans be substituted for two pounds 01 oats. 



