FEEDING FARM HORSES 165' 



Corn stover is a better feed than is generally sup- 

 posed, but it must be bright, clean and well cured. 

 If allowed to stand in the field for months, the tops 

 and leaves being exposed to the weather, it becomes 

 unfit for fodder. On the other hand, if stored in the 

 barn when damp, it is quite certain to mold, and if 

 fed in this condition will bring on trouble diges- 

 tive and nervous disorders. Corn stover is not a 

 well-balanced food. It carries little protein and 

 much of the carbohydrates. With it should go some 

 oats, or oats and corn, or corn and bran, or corn 

 and bran and one of the oil meals. 



The truth of the matter is, it does not matter very 

 much what kind of roughage is fed to horses, pro- 

 viding the roughage is well cured, free from dust, 

 and wholesome. An important thing is to provide 

 concentrates that will carry the nutrient or nutri- 

 ents lacking in the roughage but which are abun- 

 dantly supplied in the concentrates. Thus, if legume 

 hays are fed the concentrates need not be high in 

 protein, and if the roughage is of a carbonaceous 

 nature, like timothy or corn stover, some concen- 

 trate like bran or oil meal should be introduced into 

 the ration. 



Grain Feeds for Horses. It used to be thought 

 that oats were indispensable for horses. There seems 

 to be some constituent of this grain that gives met- 

 tle and energy. For horses of the roadster type and 

 those where quick action is demanded, oats should 

 be, and no doubt will continue to be, a principal part 

 of the ration, but for farm work the value of oats 

 perhaps has been overestimated. Many tests have 



