FEEDS FOB HORSES 315 



In the West alfalfa hay, often with straw in unlimited amount, is a 

 common maintenance ration for idle horses. Merrill at the Utah 

 Station 52 found 20 Ibs. of alfalfa hay per day sufficient to maintain a 

 1,400-lb. horse when not working, while Emery 53 at the Wyoming Station 

 found that 13.8 Ibs. of alfalfa hay and 2.25 Ibs. of oat straw would 

 maintain a 1,000-lb. idle horse. 



507. Alfalfa meal. When good quality alfalfa hay is available, it is 

 not economical to pay a higher price for alfalfa meal, for horses waste 

 but little of such hay, if properly fed. Moreover, alfalfa meal is dusty. 

 This irritates the air passages of the horse and may cause serious 

 trouble. In addition, the meal is disagreeable to handle. 54 While the 

 dust may be laid by wetting, this takes considerable time. (344) 



508. Miscellaneous legume hays. Hay from soybeans, cowpeas, field 

 peas, sweet clover, lespedeza, and other legumes may be used with good 

 results in horse feeding if it is well-cured and fed in moderation. In 

 a feeding trial at the North Carolina Station Burkett 55 found that cow- 

 pea hay combined with corn-and-cob meal made a satisfactory work 

 ration, and that cowpea hay with a reasonable quantity of corn could be 

 substituted for bran and oats. (357) 



Lespedeza hay was found decidedly superior to timothy, Johnson 

 grass, or Bermuda hay in a trial with growing mules by Lloyd at the 

 Louisiana Station. 56 Even with lespedeza hay at $15 a ton and. 

 Bermuda or Johnson grass hay at $11 a ton, the cost of feed per pound 

 of gain made by the mules was one-fourth less when the roughage was 

 lespedeza hay. (360) 



V. PASTURE AND OTHER SUCCULENT FEED 



For horses receiving but little exercise succulent feeds are especially 

 beneficial on account of their " cooling" and laxative effect. A limited 

 amount of succulent feed is often employed thruout the year in Europe 

 for work horses and even for drivers. 



509. Pasture. Horses at pasture not only obtain succulent feed, but 

 must exercise to secure it. Good pasture will maintain idle horses satis- 

 factorily; for those at hard work pasture without grain is insufficient. 

 Not only do the various tame and wild grasses furnish pasture for horses, 

 but as these animals are not subject to bloat, they may graze the legumes 

 as well. City horses are often turned on pasture so that their feet may 

 recover from the ill effects of hard pavements. 



To help in keeping farm teams thrifty it is a good plan to allow them 

 regularly the freedom of a pasture at night and on idle days. Con- 

 cerning this practice Bell and Williams of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture write: 57 " There will be an increased tendency toward 



"TJtah Bui. 77. M N. C. Bui. 189. 



B3 Wyo. Rpt. 12. "'Information to the authors. 



"McCampbell, Kan. Bui. 186. 57 U. S. D. A., Farmers' Bui. 1030. 



