HORSES: THEIR POINTS AND MANAGEMENT 



Oats, — Taken all round, oats constitute llie most valuable 

 food we ha\'e for horses. They do very well on these when 

 given as a staple diet, but their value is materially enhanced 

 by the addition of other cereals. May be given bruised or 

 whole, wet or dry. For sick horses, steamed oats are useful, 

 more especially if mixed with bran and linseed gruel, (iood 

 oats should ha\'e a pleasant odour, be plump and thin in the 

 husk. The seed within the latter ought to be large. Some 

 oats are very deceptive, being apparently large, but the contents 

 of the husk practically nil, even less than oats half the size. 

 Small, dusty, fusty oats are useless, and ought never to be 

 purchased. The best oats will weight 421b. per bushel. Black 

 Tartarian oats are now largely grown in this country, and 

 there are some very fair samples of these. 



Beans and Peas. — These are valuable adjuncts to other 

 feeding materials, especially those deficient in nitrogenous 

 matter. It is better to give them bruised or split, and they 

 should onlv be given in strictly moderate quantities. 



Barley. — Some horsekeepers use considerable quantities of 

 barley, either boiled or steeped. The writer does not consider 

 it so suitable as oats, and it has many disadvantages. It is 

 not necessarily cheaper than" the cereal last mentioned. 



Maize. — The feeding value of maize is too well known to 

 need any comment. It is a most useful article of fodder for 

 feeding up horses run down in flesh. 



Wheat. — Not suitable for horses. Many evil results have 

 arisen through the use of this cereal. 



Turnips and Swedes. — Although not of any particular 

 utiUty, swedes are as a rule liked by horses. 



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