48 FARM ANIMALS 



regarding its injurious effect. In that state how- 

 ever, continued use of millet was found to irritate 

 the kidneys in a pronounced manner, to cause 

 various symptoms of brain trouble accompanied 

 with struggles and also to affect all of the bones 

 and joints. All of the cereal straws are used for 

 feeding horses as a partial substitute for hay or 

 other material in the coarse fodder. Oat straw 

 is perhaps the most desirable for feeding horses, 

 followed by barley, wheat and rye straw in the 

 order of their nutritive value. When horses are 

 fed straw they require some extra grain but in 

 some cases the saving in hay more than compen- 

 sates for the additional grain required. 



Pea hay may be fed to work horses for months 

 at a time without harm and in some of the southern 

 states has been found to increase the beauty of the 

 coat of horses and mules in a way which can be 

 accomplished by no other food. It may be fed in 

 rations of 10 Ibs. per day, mixed with corn stover, 

 sorghum and other coarse forage. Occasional 

 complaints have been made that this hay causes 

 bloody urine and other kidney troubles, but this 

 seems not to be the case when it is fed in a rational 

 manner. Horses have been kept at hard work for 

 several months on pea hay without any grain. 



Pasture for horses naturally varies in different 

 parts of the country and need not be discussed at 

 any length for the reason that the feeding value of 

 the different forage plants found in pastures has 

 already been discussed. Ordinary pasture with- 

 out grain is not enough for horses used to a heavy 

 grain ration. When such horses are turned out 

 upon pasture it is usually observed that they fall off 

 in weight. This is due partly to their inability 

 to get sufficient nourishment at first from the 



