HYGIENE, UNSOUNDNESS, DISEASE. 251 



my advice is to spend money for good horse- 

 feed. It will pay. True, thousands of horses 

 have eaten moldy, half-rotten corn and got 

 away with it all right, but enough have been 

 killed by such alimentation to have bought good 

 feed for them and all the rest and left a hand- 

 some balance on the credit side of the general 

 ledger. Oats that have heated in the stack and 

 have sweated out quite dry and free from dust 

 which is a rare combination, by the way- 

 may be fed with little fear of evil results. When 

 they are dusty they are to be avoided, though 

 oats that have not been properly matured or 

 cured are not nearly as hurtful as moldy soft 

 corn. It is not always possible for the farmer 

 to feed just exactly what is best, but the point 

 to be emphasized is that whenever such a thing 

 is possible only the cleanest and best grain 

 should be fed to horses. 



Immense barns in which great quantities of 

 grain and hay are stored and many animals 

 housed are not the most advantageous. The 

 risk of total destruction by fire is too great. 

 On well regulated breeding farms, where the 

 stallions are worth many thousands of dollars, 

 you never find them stabled in a large struc- 

 ture-. It costs more, of course, but a small 

 stable for the work horses is infinitely prefer- 

 able to any part of a huge structure that looks 

 fine from the road and is liable with its con- 

 tents to go up in smoke any time some old 



