202 THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN 



pounds ; the trouble of it nothing. I was never 

 aware of the quantity of dirt and impurities to be 

 found even in clean oats, till a friend recently show- 

 ed me the siftings of his bruising mill ; such rubbish 

 in the stomach of a horse cannot but be most inju- 

 rious ; the principal object, however, in bruising the 

 corn, is to assist the mastication, and of course, 

 the digestion. The oats frequently pass through the 

 stomach and bowels, without being broken, especially 

 in horses that are fast feeders ; I think it is no ex- 

 aggeration to say, that three feeds of bruised oats 

 will convey as much nutriment to the animal, as four 

 that are not bruised. In the country and in large 

 posting establishments, where the labor of the mill 

 would be inconvenient, the same end is gained by 

 mixing the oats with chaff. It becomes impossible 

 for the horse to bolt his food when thus mixed, 

 and the mastication being slower, is more com- 

 plete. Where chaff is required in large quantities, 

 I can suggest an ingenious method of cutting it, 

 practised by an intelligent friend of mine, Mr. 

 Cleeve, formerly the proprietor of one of the princi- 

 pal dairies in London. He has constructed a tread- 

 mill to work the chaff cutter ; it consists simply of 

 two old gig-wheels, to the fellies of which steps are 



