LIVE STOCK. 



139 



c6eth must be taken as evidence that 

 the yearling stage has been passed by 

 a month or two. The middle perma- 

 nent incisors will usually appear 

 when the animal is from one year 

 and nine months to two years of age. 

 Some latitude must be allowed, say a 

 couple of months either way, as the 

 rate of development, as affected by 

 feeding and care, will affect the time 

 at which the permanent teeth will 

 appear. The lateral pair will usually 



Feeding 

 In Canada, horses are fed chiefly 

 upon hay, grass and oats, with vary- 

 'ng quantities of corn, fodder, roots, 

 corn, wheat, wheat bran, rye and 

 barley. It is usual to find in any 

 locality that the foods which are 

 thought suitable for feeding to horses 

 are limited in number, although 

 these foods would exhibit a good deal 

 of variety when the list for all locali- 

 ties was taken. 



The customary diet of hay and 

 oats, with the addition of greater or 

 less quantities of such feeds as wheat 

 bran or a small quantity of linseed 

 oil cake meal and a few roots, may 

 always be counted upon to give good 

 results if fed with ordinary care and 

 ludgment. Frequently, on account 

 of the nature of the feeds on hand 

 or of the economy in purchasing, 

 other feeds may be used advantage- 

 ously and safely, if discretion be ex- 

 ercised in their selection. In choos- 

 ing these foods we should remember 

 the needs of the animal and the de- 

 mands made upon its energies, hence 

 nutritious foods should be fed dur- 

 ing a period of hard work, and foods 

 of a too bulky nature must be avoided 

 if the horse is called upon to endure 

 considerable strain within a short 

 period of time, whether it be in draw- 

 ing heavy loads or drawing a light 

 load at a rapid pace. 



A table giving the nutritive values 

 of several of the commonest feeding 

 stuffs is included in this chapter; for 

 a more complete treatise, the reader 

 would do well to consult some such 



appear when the animal is two years 

 of age. The average is two years and 

 three months, with an extreme of two 

 years and one-half. The corner in- 

 cisors are usually replaced by perma- 

 nents by the time the animal has 

 reached the age of three years. When 

 the sheep is four years of age all the 

 incisors are up and in wear. The 

 animal has by this time a "full 

 mouth," and estimatio^ns as to Its age 

 after this period is reached are, of 

 necessity, speculative. 



the Horse, 

 standard work of reference as Arms- 

 by's book on feeding animals, or 

 Henry's "Feeds and Feeding." 



Sudden changes of diet are always 

 dangerous. When desirous of chang- 

 ing the food, do so very gradually. 

 If a horse is accustomed to oats, a 

 sudden change to a full meal of 

 corn is apt to cause digestive 

 derangement. If we merely intend 

 to increase the quantity of the nsoal 

 feed, this also must be done gradu- 

 ally. The quantity of food given 

 must always be in proportion to the 

 amount of labor to be performed. If 

 a horse is to do a small amount of 

 work, or rest entirely from work for 

 a few days, see that he receives a 

 proportionately smaller amount of 

 feed. If this should be observed on 

 Saturday night and Sunday, there 

 would be fewer cases of "Monday 

 morning sickness," such as coUos and 

 lymphangitis. 



Foods should also 'be of a more laxa- 

 tive nature when the horse is to stand 

 for some days. 



Musty or Moldy Foods. — Above all 

 things, avoid feeding musty or moldy 

 foods. These are frequent causes of 

 disease of different kinds. Lung 

 trouble, such as bronchitis and 

 "heaves," often follows the use of 

 such food. The digestive organs al- 

 ways suffer from musty or moldy 

 foods. Musty hay is generally con- 

 sidered to produce disorder of the 

 kidneys; and all know of the danger 

 to pregnant animals from feeding 

 upon ergotized grasses or grains. 



Leaving these somewhat general 



