PREPARATION OF FOUD. 209 



Hay seed, when used as food, should always be washed. 

 It contains a great deal of sand and dust, which are easily 

 separated by throwing the seed into a tub of water, and stir- 

 ring it about with the hand. The seed swims and the impu- 

 rities fall to the bottom. To get rid of the water, skim off 

 the seed into a sieve, or a tub having a perforated bottom, and 

 let it drain there for ten minutes. 



BRUISING. Grain and pulse are broken, or bruised, by pas- 

 sing them between a pair of metal rollers. The only object 

 of this practice is to insure the digestion of these seeds, which 

 do not resist solution when their husk is broken. If the horse 

 would masticate his food sufficiently, there would be no need 

 to bruise it ; But some have bad teeth, and others feed in 

 haste ; and by both much of the grain is swallowed entire 

 and passes through the digestive apparatus without yielding 

 any nutriment. The skin which covers oats, beans, and some 

 other seeds, seems to resist the action of the stomach. It 

 will not dissolve, or at least it is evacuated before it is dis- 

 solved, and it prevents solution of the meal which it covers. 

 In some horses, the quantity that passes off entire is very con- 

 siderable : it has been estimated at one sixth of all that is 

 eaten. But the quantity is not certain ; and there is seldom 

 such a loss as this. Still the saving effected by preventing it 

 pays for the cost of preventing it. If the husk of the seed 

 be broken, the farina will be dissolved. 



There are hand-mills of different sizes for bruising grain. 

 Beans are seldom submitted to the process. Horses are not 

 so apt to swallow the entire beans ; yet some do, especially 

 those having bad teeth. There are mills for bruising beans, 

 [also for grinding corn with the cob, oats, and other small 

 grain]. 



In this town the grain is generally bruised at the public 

 mills. But when only three or four horses are kept, it is bet- 

 ter to have the bruising performed at home. The bruised 

 grain rapidly absorbs moisture and becomes musty. A hand- 

 mill furnishes it always fresh , enough for only one or two 

 days should be prepared at a time. [In the drier climate of 

 America, meal will keep sweet for weeks or months.] 



Bruised grain mixes readily with chaff, and it saves an old 

 horse some trouble. It has little more to recommend it. If 

 the horses be young, the addition of chaff will compel them 

 to do that which is doire by the mill, and they are able enough 

 to do it. But when chaff is not used, the grain should b 

 bruised for all kinds of horses. 



18* 



