44 



FARMERS' REGISTER— GREEN FOOD FOR HORSES. 



be grown, and where, consequently, there is ditfi- j 

 culty in converting the struw into manure during | 

 the winter, it cannot be too strongly recommended. 

 But it requires a succession of green crops; and as 

 only the artificial grasses are resorted to in Eng- 

 land — though in many parts of the continent the 

 meadows are also mown lor that purpose — it is? ne- 

 cessary that winter and summer tares should be 

 sown at diflercnt periods, so as to aflbi'd a constant 

 supply, both before clover comes in, and after the 

 first crop is off. This is a great impediment to the 

 practice in Scotland, and in some of our northern 

 counties, where tares are an uncertain crop; though 

 cattle are certainly soiled Avith great advantage, 

 both there and in other places, on clover alone, in 

 other situations too, tiirms, on strong cl^iy, fre- 

 quently contain a large portion of meadow, and 

 grazing being combined with tillage, the whole of 

 the straw is consumed in the winter, in which 

 case one of the chief advantages of summer soil- 

 ing would be lost, as yard dung, without the addi- 

 tion of straw, is of very little value. But even in 

 this instance, or in others where the distance of 

 the fields from the homestead may be opposed to 

 the cartage of the grass, it is better to cut it dail}^, 

 and give it on the ground in pens, or small inclo- 

 sures hurdled off, so as to prevent the cattle from 

 injuring the growing crop, than to allow them to 

 range over and tramjjle it. By confining them in 

 this maimer to a small space, and moving the hur- 

 dles forward as the grass is eaten, the fertilizing 

 properties" of the dung and urine, which would 

 otherwise be lost, are in a considerable degree pre- 

 served; and if the land be immediately ploughed, 

 it will be nearly as much benefited as if it were 

 more regularly manured. 



The artificial grasses used for soiling are the 

 same as those already enumerated as hay, but 

 here tares take the lead, both because tlie Avinter 

 species is eaiiier ready than any other, except rye- 

 grass, and affords a weightier crop. In most sea- 

 sons, tares are ready tor the scythe towards the 

 middle of May, for if left till they are quite ripe 

 they will become unfit for soiling before the crop 

 can be used; and although there may be some loss 

 in using them ao soon, it Avill be compensated by 

 the saving at the latter end, as well as by com- 

 mencing the feoiling sooner than would be other- 

 wise practicable. Before they are off, clover will 

 be ready; the tares still standing may then be 

 made into hay, and by the time the clover is be- 

 coming strawy, and losing its succulence, spring- 

 tares Avill come in, which, if they have been soAvn 

 at intervals of about a fortnight each, will last 

 until the second cut of clover: or, if spring-tares be 

 not sown, the growth of part of the clover may be 

 checked by light early feeding. There is also an 

 excellent fashion regarding soiling in Dorsetshire, 

 which consists in saving a portion of rye alone, to 

 be cut green; then another portion of rye, with 

 tares; and afterwards the remainder entirely Avith 

 tares: the rye comes first into use, and assists in 

 raising the earlier tares, Avhile those of later groAvth 

 do not require any such nursing. Thus "horses 

 may be kept upon a succession of green herbage, 

 Avithout touching the meadoAVs, throughout four 

 months of the summer and autumn, and, Avhile 

 thus fed, require very little corn; Avhen stirring the 

 fklloAvs, and during the hurry of harA'est a couple 

 of feeds a day may be serAiceable, but more is un- 



necessaiy, and at other times should be Avholly 

 omitted. ^ 



The mention of lucerne has been omitted, al- 

 though extremely valuable lor soiling, because it 

 requires a peculiar quality of land, and is not com- 

 monly cultivated. In the Essex Report, it is said, 

 that two horses have been supported during four 

 montfis upon a quarter of an acre, Avith scarcely 

 any thing given to them besides; and that six 

 horses, at hard work, have been kept on lucerne, 

 instead of hay, but Avith an alloAvance of oats and 

 chaft' Ibr tAvelve Aveeks — six from the first cut; four 

 from the second; and tAVO from the third: Avhich, 

 valuing the hay saA^ed at 3s. per horse ])er Aveek, 

 Avould amount to £ 10 16s.* A paper in the com- 

 munications to the Board of Agriculture also 

 states that, in one year, tAventy-three horses have 

 been kept tAventy Aveeks, and in the next, tAventy^ 

 eight horses during eighteen weeks, upon eleven 

 acres alone; Avhich gives an average of three roods 

 per horse in nineteen weeks. t It is also extensive- 

 ly used on the coast of Normandy, and in the 

 neighbormg islands of Guernsey and Jersey; but 

 it is there said that horses, particularly those used 

 for the saddle, require more precavition from over^ 

 working, Avhen first gomg out of the stable, than 

 Avhen fed on other hay; and, Avhat is singular, that 

 when soiled on green lucerne, there is not the 

 same danger.f 



In Holland and Flanders, where the feeding of 

 cattle is supposed to be better understood than in- 

 most places, the summer soiling of farm-horses is 

 limited to half an acre of meadoAV grass, cut and 

 carried to the stables, from the middle ol" May to 

 the middle of June; from Avhicli time to the end of 

 August one-sixth of an acre of clover is added, 

 with 2 lbs daily of beans; and from thence to No- 

 vember, Avhen the Avinter feeding commences, the 

 clover is replaced by an equal quantity of carroty. 

 From the number of horses stated, in this instance 

 to be kept in proportion to the tillage — H to 150 

 acres, of alluvial soil — their labor can, hoAvever, 

 be only light; though a pair is said to draAv a ton 

 and a half of manure in the field, and three tons 

 upon paA'ement.§ 



Accounts have been also published, shoAving 

 that horses may be regularly Avorked throughout 

 the summer, in this country, Avithout any corn: 

 thus green crops, consumed by soiling, are said to 

 go four times as far as Avhen grazed; and that, in 

 this manner, one acre of clover is eoual to six of 

 meadow pasture. But many of these statements 

 rest only upon opinion, or upon insufficient data, 

 and in all, so much depends upon the state of the 

 crop, the size and health of the animal, and the 

 Avork performed, of which the account is generally 

 imperfect, that no safe conclusion can be draAvn 



* Young's Survey of Essex, vol. ii. pp. 71, 72. 



t Vol. vii. Art. 25. Part I. 



t Quay le's Survey of the Islands on the Coast of 

 Normandy, p. 117. 



§ Radcliff 's Report of the Agriculture of East and 

 West Flanders, p. 216. Another farm, of 200 acres, 

 mentioned in the same Report, is cultivated by eight 

 horses, each of Avhich get daily, in winter, 15 lbs. of 

 hay, 10 lbs. of straw, and 8 lbs. of oats; and, after every 

 feed, a bucket of water, 'richly Avhitened Avith rye or 

 oatmeal:' in summer, clover is substituted for hay, but 

 the other feeding remains the same, and the 'white h'«t 

 ier' is ncA^er omitted. — p. 54. 



