PREPARATION OP FOOD 213 



which is always better than that into which only one or two 

 articles enter. The other circumstance I allude to is an in- 

 creased consumption of food. The horse eats a larger quan- 

 tity of this boiled food, partly because it is boiled, and partly 

 because it contains articles to which he is less accustomed, 

 and which are therefore more agreeable, and because he likes 

 variety. 



It is not usual to give boiled food to v jrking horses oftener 

 than once a day. Slow, and even fast-workers do, however, 

 sometimes get it twice or thrice a day. Heavy draught- 

 horses may have it thus often without disadvantage. But it 

 is complained that those employed at fast-work, and on long 

 journeys, become soft when they get boiled food so frequently. 

 They perspire a great deal ; their vigor is not lasting ; they 

 are sooner exhausted than horses that receive less boiled and 

 more raw food. Whether this be true or not, the approach 

 of hct weather always produces a dislike for boiled food. 

 The horses, particularly fast horses, may take one feed, but 

 few are fond of more. In coaching-stables, the boiling is 

 discontinued as the weather becomes warm. It is not dis- 

 carded all at once. Instead of giving boiled food every night, 

 it is given only thrice a week ; after a while, only once a 

 week, and ultimately not at all. The practice commences in 

 the same way, about the end of autumn. 



In boiling grain, care must be taken to prevent it from ad- 

 hering to the bottom of the pot, where it gets burned, and be- 

 comes nauseous. It must be often stirred. As the water 

 evaporates, more should be added. Never let the liquor boil 

 over. It contains a great deal of nutriment, extracted from 

 the food. I often see it running to waste, the vessel being 

 too small, or the attendant careless. Give the grain plenty 

 of water, more than it will take up, and either give the liquor 

 as a drink, or add chaff or bran to imbibe it. 



All the kinds of food are generally over-boiled. The horse 

 dislikes slops. His food should be firm, hard enough to give 

 the teeth some employment. Neither roots nor grain should 

 be boiled to a jelly. They should be a little hard at the heart. 

 The skin of grain and pulse, however, should be burst. When 

 ready^the mass is emptied into a cooler, which is just a tub 

 or trough, sometimes placed on wheels. In this, other arti- 

 cles, such as chaff, bran, and meal, which do not require 

 boiling, are added, and the whole incorporated into an equal 

 mass. 



Oats require more boiling than beans, beans more than bar 



