

FOOD. 471 



for boiling it. Half a dozen horses would soon repay the expense of a steaming 

 boiler in the saving of provender, without taking into the account their improved 

 condition and capability for work*. A horse fed on potatoes should have his 

 quantity of water materially curtailed. 



FURZE has sometimes been given during the winter months. There is con- 

 siderable trouble attending the preparation of it, although its plentifulness and 

 little value for other purposes would, on a large farm, well repay that trouble. 

 The furze is cut down at about three or four years' growth ; the green branches 

 of that and the preceding year are bruised in a mill, and then given to the horses 

 in the state in which they come from the mill, or cut up with the chaff. Horses 

 are very fond of it If twenty pounds of the furze are given, five pounds of 

 straw, the beans, and three pounds of the oats, may be withdrawn. 



It may not be uninteresting to conclude this catalogue of the different articles 

 of horse-food with a list of the quantities of nutritive matter contained in each 

 of them; for although these quantities cannot be considered as expressing the 

 actual value of each, because other circumstances besides the simple quantity of 

 nutriment seem to influence their effect in supporting the strength and con- 

 dition of the horse, yet many a useful hint may be derived when the farmer 

 looks over the produce of his soil, and inquires what other grasses or vegetables 

 might suit his land. The list is partly taken from Sir Humphry Davy's Agri- 

 cultural Chemistry: 1000 parts of wheat contain 955 parts of nutritive matter; 

 barley, 920; oats, 743; peas, 574; beans, 570; potatoes, 230; red beet, 148; 

 parsnips, 99 ; carrots, 98. Of the grasses, 1000 parts of the meadow cat's-tail 

 contain, at the time of seeding, 98 parts of nutritive matter; narrow-leaved 

 meadow grass in seed, and sweet-scented soft grass in flower, 95 ; narrow-leaved 

 and flat-stalked meadow grass in flower, fertile meadow grass in seed, and tall 

 fescue, in flower, 93 ; fertile meadow grass, meadow fescue, reed-like fescue, 

 and creeping soft grass in flower, 78 ; sweet-scented soft grass in flower, and the 

 aftermath, 77; florin, cut in the winter, 76; tall fescue, in the aftermath, and 

 meadow soft grass in flower, 74 ; cabbage, 73 ; crested dog's-tail and brome when 

 flowering, 71 ; yellow oat, in flower, 66 ; Swedish turnips, 64 ; narrow-leaved 

 meadow grass, creeping beet, round-headed cocksfoot, and spiked fescue, 59; 

 roughish and fertile meadow grass, flowering, 56; florin, in summer, 54; com- 

 mon turnips, 42 ; sain-foin, and broad-leaved and long-rooted clover, 39 ; white 

 clover, 32 ; and lucern, 23. 



The times of feeding should be as equally divided as convenience will permit; 

 and when it is likely that the horse will be kept longer than usual from home, 

 the nose-bag should invariably be taken. The small stomach of the horse is 

 emptied in a few hours ; and if he is suffered to remain hungry much beyond 

 his accustomed time, he will afterwards devour his food so voraciously as to 

 distend the stomach and endanger an attack of staggers. When this disease 

 appears in the farmer's stable, he may attribute it to various causes ; the true 

 one, in the majority of instances, is irregularity in feeding. If the reader will 

 turn back to page 140, he will be convinced that this deserves more serious 

 attention than is generally given to it. 



When extra work is required from the animal, the system of management is 

 often injudicious, for a double feed is put before him, and as soon as he has 

 swallowed it he is started. It would be far better to give him a double feed on 

 the previous evening, which would be digested before he is wanted, and then he 

 might set out in the morning after a very small portion of corn has been given to 



* Professor Low says that 151bs. of po- of hay; and Curwen, who tried potatoes ex- 



tatoes yield as much nourishment as four tensively in the feeding of horses, says that au 



pounds and a-hnlf of oats. Von Thayer acre goes as far as four acres of bay. 

 asserts that thicc bushels are equal to 1121bs. 



