HORSES 185 



can come more nearly getting what he needs than if he is 

 fed only hay. 



More Grain Than Roughage. — For the reasons given 

 above, a good ration for a horse at heavy work must con- 

 tain more grain than roughage by weight; while a good 

 ration for a milch cow will contain fully twice as much rough- 

 age as grain. 



Roughage is a much cheaper form of feed than grain. 

 For example, oats at 32c. per bushel cost Ic. per pound; 

 while hay at $5.00 per ton costs but Ic. for four pounds. 



Since a horse at work must have a large proportion of 

 grain, it is very important that one try to feed as cheap a 

 grain as possible to get the desired results. 



Oats and Com. — The favorite feed for horses is oats 

 and timothy hay. The average cost of oats per pound is 

 over Ic, while the average cost of shelled com is about 

 ^c. per pound. The grain feed alone for a horse costs 

 about $50.00 per year. If corn can be used to replace all, 

 or a part of, the oats, a considerable saving can be made. 



We have learned that there are two general classes of 

 feed: nitrogenous or muscle-forming feeds, and non-nitro- 

 genous or fat and heat-forming feeds. Most of the common 

 farm feeds have both nitrogenous matter (protein) and 

 non-nitrogenous matter (carbohydrates), but the proportion 

 of these compounds varies. 



The most common feeds that have a comparatively 

 large amount of protein, are bran, oats, clover and alfalfa 

 hay. The feeds containing large quantities of carbohy- 

 drates are com, barley, timothy or wild hay, and corn 

 fodder. In the grain feeds, those containing a large pro- 

 portion of protein are more expensive than those rich in 

 carbohydrates; while in the roughage, clover hay, which is 

 rich in protein, is cheaper than timothy, which is very poor 

 in protein. These facts make it evident that the needed 

 protein may be furnished in roughage cheaper than in grain. 



Com and Clover Hay. — If corn is to replace oats as the 

 grain feed for horses, some feed rich in protein must be used 

 for roughage. Clover is the cheapest form of roughage that 

 can be produced on the farm, and is rich in protein. There 

 is a general belief among horsemen that clover hay is not 



