298 Feeds and Feeding. 



to make tlie animal fat and liable to sweat; while it improves their 

 appearance, it somewhat detracts from their physical energy." 



468. The Paris Omnibus Company's experiments. The Paris 

 Omnibus Company, employing nearly ten thousand horses, began 

 feeding trials with Indian corn in 1874. 1 Sixteen horses of dif- 

 ferent ages having up to the time of the experiment been fed a 

 ration consisting of 18.7 pounds of oats, 1.8 pounds of bran, with 

 hay and straw additional, received, gradually, more and more corn 

 in the place of oats, until after one month the oats were replaced 

 by corn. The horses weighed on an average 1194.1 pounds at 

 the beginning of the experiment, and at the end, four months 

 later, 1219.8 pounds. They were in good flesh and had grown 

 fat, although they had worked hard during this time. It was 

 found, however, that they were less spirited and seemed to lose in 

 energy when more than nine pounds of oats were replaced by 

 corn. The conclusions were that a mixture of 6.6 pounds of 

 corn and 12.1 pounds of oats will prove most satisfactory for work 

 horses, the ratio varying in each case according to the tempera- 

 ment of the animal. Twenty-five other horses doing 'bus service 

 were fed 11 pounds of oats and 6.6 pounds of corn, after a longer 

 transition period, with hay and straw as before, and after six 

 months equally favorable results were obtained. All horses of the 

 company were fed in this manner during 1876 and afterwards. 

 They maintained their weight, and according to the records of the 

 company did more work in 1876 than in 1875 on the oat ration. 

 " Compared with the time when only oats were fed, they are 

 more calm at the present and lack the former abundance of 

 vivacity; but on the other hand, work as well and as rapidly as 

 before." The company saved $9.26 per horse during 1876 by the 

 partial substitution of corn for oats. 



469. Muntz's experiments. In 1881, Muntz conducted experi- 

 ments with horses belonging to the Paris Omnibus Company, 2 

 the first of which was with 362 horses fed 9.5 pounds oats, 6.7 

 pounds corn, 2.1 pounds beans, 1.1 pounds bran, 10.4 pounds 

 hay and 11.4 pounds straw daily. The average weight of the 



1 Journ. de 1'Agr. 1877, p. 127; Biederm. Centralbl. 1877, p. 255. 



2 Recueil. de Med. Veter., Feb. 1880; Biederm. Centralbl. 1881, p. 767. 



