HAND-REARING OF FOALS 223 



Failing a foster-mother, the next best source of food-supply is the cow. 

 Here again some consideration must be given to selection of a suitable 

 subject whence to obtain the milk, for if the task of hand-rearing is to 

 be undertaken, it must be entered upon and pursued in such a way as to 

 safeguard success at all points. 



The most suitable milk for this purpose will be obtained from a heifer 

 a week after calving, or if the foal has not sucked its dam it would be an 

 advantage to procure a supply for the first thirty-six hours from a cow just 

 calved, in order to awaken the action of the bowels and provoke discharge of 

 their contents. 



Once having commenced with the milk of a particular animal, it is most 

 desirable that no change be made, if possible to guard against it, and, as 

 we have previously observed, the milk of a young cow freshly calved is 

 much to be preferred to that of a stale old one. 



Although, as will be seen from the figures given below, the same con- 

 stituents are found in the milk of the cow as enter into that of the mare, 

 the actual and relative proportions of these constituents differ to a consider- 

 able extent in the two cases. To approximate the composition of the one 

 to that of the other, and to render it more suitable to the requirements of 

 the foal, water must be added to reduce the proportions of casein and fat, 

 and at the same time the deficiency of sugar must be made up by the addi- 

 tion of a suitable quantity of the domestic article. At first the proportion 

 of water to cow's milk should be one part of the former to two of the 

 latter, but as time goes on one part to three will be found more to the 

 purpose, and later water may be excluded altogether. The following 

 figures are percentages: 



Cow's Milk. Mare's Milk. 



Water 87*0 88'0 



Fat 4-6 1-0 



Casein 4'0 1-6 



Sugar 3-8 8-9 



Salts 0-6 0-5 



Thus it will be seen that while the fat and casein of the cow's milk is 

 largely in excess of that of the mare's, the sugar of the mare's milk far 

 exceeds that of the cow's. 



Next in importance to a judicious selection of milk is the desirability 

 of its being transferred immediately from the cow to the foal while still 

 warm. To maintain the natural temperature (100 F.) it should be drawn 

 from the cow into a vessel previously warmed, and afterwards diluted with 

 water raised to 100 F. Cold stale milk at this tender age is sure to 

 provoke diarrhoea, and not unlikely to bring about a fatal result. Cleanli- 



