76 ORLOF TROTTERS 



of the youngster, and according- to the length of time the 

 mare may have been pregnant. If the foal does not thrive 

 on its dam's milk, it is taken away after four months. Oats 

 are oriven to the foal as well as to the dam, when the foal is 



o 



from fourteen to twenty-one days old, and are gradually in- 

 creased, so that it gets about 3f- Ibs. a day when it is weaned. 

 At this stage, the young ones are taken to a mountainous and 

 large paddock, where they are fed on oats, grass and hay and 

 remain there until ist October. If the grass turns hard and 

 dry from the sun, each of them receives about i^ Ib. of 

 carrots daily. They are all taught to drink milk, so that if 

 they get strangles or any other debilitating disease, they may 

 take milk readily without having to be drenched. Weakly foals 

 are given as much as six quarts a day; rich milk being avoided. 

 If there be any suspicion of tuberculosis with regard to the 

 cows, these animals are tested with tuberculin. Tuberculosis 

 is almost unknown among steppe cattle, which also exhibit 

 considerable immunity to rinderpest. These cattle vary in 

 colour from dark iron grey to light grey, cream or dirty white. 

 They have thick curly hair on their foreheads, are capital beef 

 producers, but the cows are poor milkers. From the ist 

 October (Russian style) all the foals are put to artificial 

 exercise by being led one boy to two foals at a walk on a 

 stone floor. At first, twenty-five minutes a day of this work is 

 given ; the time being increased by about ten minutes a week, 

 until it amounts to one and a half hours a day in three different 

 periods. They are then on alternate days exercised at liberty 

 in a riding school for a quarter of a mile to one and a half 

 mile, and are taken in a drove for two to six miles at a walk ; 

 though some of course run about in play. 



The hours are as follows : They are watered and fed (with 

 hay and oats) at 5 a.m. ; noon ; 4 p.m. ; and 7 p.m. At 8 p.m. 

 they are given hay and are left for the night. At 6.30 a.m. 

 they are exercised by being led for twenty to twenty-five 



