358 THE FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



the horseman should be familiar must be learned through 

 experience and by consulting special literature. 



It is proper to state that our knowledge concerning 

 the feeding of colts consists largely of the conclusions 

 derived from experience of practical men. Very little 

 experimental attention has been given to this subject 

 by investigators. During the years that experiment 

 stations have existed in the United States few stations 

 have reported experiments along this line, and these were 

 not extensive; but notwithstanding the lack of direct 

 data from scientific sources there are well-proven and 

 safe facts to which we can refer. 



455. Feeding the colt through the dam. The proper 

 feeding of the young foal is accomplished first through 

 the proper feeding of the dam. The mare with a colt at 

 her side should be regarded as a milch animal, making 

 demands upon the food for generous milk production 

 similar to those made by the milch cow. This is equiva- 

 lent to the statement that when suckling her foal the dam 

 should be given foods that stimulate milk secretion. If 

 she is allowed the run of a good pasture, both mother and 

 colt will usually thrive satisfactorily. Young pasture 

 grass is as efficient with the mare as with the cow. If, on 

 the other hand, the feeding is from the stable, either 

 wholly or to amend an insufficient or inferior food-supply 

 from grazing, then the grain ration should be made to 

 include such feeding-stuffs as barley, oats, wheat, wheat 

 bran, wheat middlings, peas, and even a small propor- 

 tion of linseed meal. Whenever soiling-crops are grown 

 these may be fed, especially alfalfa. In case the legume 

 fodders are available, either green or dried, the necessity 

 for protein in the grain is not so great and corn may 

 form a larger proportion of the ration. 



