BEDDING 355 



— viewed, however, by some as an advantage — in that many horses when 

 bedded with it eat their bedding. 



Barley-straw is cheaper than either oat- or wheat-straw, but it is 

 inferior in appearance and durability, and its use cannot be recommended 

 on account of the annoying property, probably from the presence of 

 barley-awns, of producing skin irritation and itching of the limbs, and 

 thereby inducing rubbing, stamping, and kicking among horses littered 

 with it. Rye-straw is not so irritant as barley-straw, but it is less com- 

 fortable than oat- or wheat-straw, and its limited supply and extra cost 

 preclude its general use. 



Bean- or pea -straw is, as a rule, used only on the farms where it is 

 grown. The general custom is to give it for combined fodder and bedding 

 purposes, the better and more digestible parts being eaten, and the inferior 

 used as bedding. 



Damaged hay is sometimes used for litter, and on farms whei-e it is 

 there is a difficulty in knowing what other use to put it to; but it is not a 

 good bedding, and horses littered with it generally acquire the habit of eating 

 their bedding, a pernicious habit which, when the hay is much damaged 

 and mouldy, may originate serious indigestion, or even broken wind. 



The quantity of straw necessary to keep a good clean bed will depend 

 to some extent upon the stall floor and the drainage, less straw being 

 required where the floors are evenly laid and have a slight incline from 

 before backwards. The amount will also vary for individual horses, and 

 horses usually require more than mares. Where there are a number of 

 horses the average amount necessary can easily be arrived at, and with 

 ordinary care in the management it will be found that a good Ited can be 

 maintained on 8 lbs. per horse per day, or ^ cwt. per week. For several 

 years this quantity was allowed to a large stud under the care of the writer, 

 and although the weight was never exceeded, but, on the contrary, the 

 whole of it rarely used, a thoroughly good bed was always maintained. 

 As already indicated, whenever the straw is very long it should be cut in 

 two. If the supply of straw were unlimited, and its cost of no moment, in 

 all probal)ility no one would think of using any other substance; but as 

 cost is a very important point in large studs kept for utilitarian purposes, 

 and the supply is more or less limited, for many of these studs saw-dust, 

 peat-moss, and other materials have been substituted. 



Saw-dust. — The writer has employed saw-dust as bedding for the 

 last eighteen years without having experienced any deleterious eff'ects that 

 could be ascribed to its use. It has been used solely on the grounds of 

 economy. In large towns where there is a considerable supply of saw-dust 

 the difference in the net cost, after making allowance for the difl'erence in 



