12 



any substance of the nature of the theoretical avenin. Recent experi- 

 ments have shown that the fat of oats and oat straw is more thoroughly 

 digested than that of other cereals. This is suggested as a possible 

 explanation of the superior feeding value of oats. 



It is believed by many that horses show more spirit when oats form 

 part of the ration. Discussing this subject, Director W. A. Henrj^, of 

 the Wisconsin Experiment Station, says: 



Horses nurtured on oats show mettle which can not be reached by the use of any 

 other feeding stuff. Then, too, there is no grain so safe for horse feeding, the animal 

 rarely being seriously injured if by accident or otherwise the groom deals out 

 an oversupply. This safety is due in no small measure to the presence of the oat 

 hull, which causes a given weight of grain to possess considerable volume, because 

 of which there is less liability of mistake in measuring out the ration; further, 

 the digestive tract can not hold a quantity of oat grains sufficient to produce serious 

 disorders. Unless the horse is hard pressed for time or has poor teeth oats should 

 be fed in the whole condition. Musty oats should be avoided. 



Horsemen generally agree that new oats should not be used, though Boussingault, 

 conducting extensive experiments with army horses, arrived at the conclusion that 

 new oats do not possess the injurious qualities attributed to them. 



The grain most commonly substituted for oats in this country is 

 Indian corn or maize. It is so commonly used, especiall}^ in the 

 South and West, that it is difficult to realize the prejudice which has 

 existed against it in other countries. It has been asserted that there 

 are climatic and other conditions which render corn a suitable horse 

 feed in America which do not exist elsewhere. This hardl}'^ seems 

 reasonable, and has not been borne out by the numerous experi- 

 ments undertaken in France, Germany, and other counti'ies. Such 

 experiments have demonstrated the value of corn and shown the truth 

 of the opinions generally held in this countr}^ namel}^, that it is a safe 

 and satisfactory feeding stuff for horses. 



Barley, rye, and wheat are sometimes fed to horses. Their resem- 

 blance to oats in composition will be seen b}^ reference to the table. 

 All these grains should be substituted on the basis of chemical com- 

 position, and not pound for pound. As would be expected, the ground 

 grains differ little from the same varieties before grinding. 



Bran, shorts, middlings, and other b3'-products vary in composition, 

 but all have a low water content, while the crude fiber content is 

 generally rather high. Their nutritive ingredients are principally 

 protein and carboh3^drates. The high crude fiber content is due to 

 the fact that these products represent the outer layers of the grain, 

 which are more hard and firm in structure than the interior portion, 

 which consists quite largely of starch. 



The total number of tests to compare different feeding stuffs for 

 horses which have been undertaken by the agricultural experiment 

 stations in the United States is not large compared with the tests 

 made with other farm animals. The results obtained are, however, 

 interesting. 



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