Feeds f<yr tJie Horse. 303 



476. Relative merits of the grains. — Settegast ^ discusses the 

 relative value of grain feeds for horses as follows: "Among all 

 cereals, oats are the best adapted to horse feeding; their place can 

 hardly be filled in colt raising. In the ration for full-grown horses, 

 rye and barley may to some extent be substituted for oats. A par- 

 tial substitution of the seeds of legumes (beans, peas, vetches) for 

 oats to the extent of about one-third the concentiates has bet^r. 

 practiced in cases of continued heavy team work. The exjjeri- 

 ence of late years has further shown that corn may be considered 

 as approximating oats in value for work horses. Experiments 

 have shown that a ration of 18. 7 pounds of corn and 11 pounds 

 of straw is profitable for omnibus horses. In periods of rest the 

 concentrates may advantageously be decreased one-half with rid- 

 ing and work horses." 



477. Dried and soaked grain. — WolfT * found that in the case of 

 healthy horses with good teeth, the utilization of beans and corn 

 remained about the same whether fed whole and in dry condition, 

 or fed after having been previously soaked in water for twenty - 

 four hours, care being taken in the latter case to guard against 

 loss of nutrients. (375) 



478. Timothy hay. — Although chemical analysis shows timothy 

 hay not particularly rich in digestible nutrients, nevertheless 

 it is the standard in its class throughout the northeastern United 

 States. One reason for its popularity lies in the fact that it is 

 easily distinguished from hay of all other grasses, and both the 

 farmer who grows it and the horseman who feeds it feel no un- 

 certainty as to its identity or quality. Its freedom from dust 

 commends good timothy hay as a horse feed, and it is an excellent 

 roughage for horses, whose sustenance comes mostly from the 

 grain they receive. (268) 



479. Clover hay. — Clover hay is generally so loaded with dust 

 that horsemen have come to regard it with disfavor under aU 

 circumstances. This prejudice should be overcome, for well-made 

 clover hay will serve a valuable purjDose in the stable ia many 

 instances. Its relatively high content of protein makes it more 

 nearly a balanced ration in itself, but the high proportion of in- 



1 Thierzucht, II, 110. 



* Landw. Jahrb. 16, 1887, Sup. Ill, p. 21. 



