CORDIAL BALLS, AND HORSE-BREAD. 183 



him getting heavy and out of spirits, and neither 

 caused by over-feeding ; or if by accident he 

 has been a little over-fatigued, lessen the exer- 

 cise a day or two, and give for a couple of suc- 

 cessive evenings, at the last half-past eight 

 o'clock feed, one map of barley, boiled for two 

 hours, one ditto of sago, and two maps of bran 

 mash, into which put four drachms of gum 

 arabic and two of rock salt. Give also the 

 following cordial-ball at daybreak, and a little 

 bajree flour gruel just before his first watering 

 time in the morning. Cordial ball : — One 

 drachm Columbo root, one drachm gentian, one 

 drachm anise-seed, three-quarters of a drachm 

 of ginger, half a drachm of turmeric, half a 

 drachm of sulphur, one-twelfth of a drachm of 

 bhang, and one-twelfth of a drachm of opium, 

 all finely pounded, and mixed up with the inside 

 of a couple of figs or dates : or boil the figs or 

 dates, skins and all, in a little sugar and butter, 

 then mix in the ingredients. 



Cordial balls, two or three a-week, or half a 

 one daily, are also indispensable to many deli- 

 cate horses the last month in training; and the 

 above is as good a one as at this time can be 

 made up ; yet it is very unpleasant to have to 

 ball a horse continually, however expert the 

 horsekeeper may be in doing it. A drench is 



