FARMERS' REGISTER— HORSE FEEDING. 



40 



qualit}". Six bushels have been found, on com- 

 2)aralive trial, to be equal to ei;[^ht of oat«.* 



The British cavalry was led on barley duriug 

 the greater part of the Peninsular war, and throve 

 U[)on their allowance, though it was delivered by 

 weight, and was only 10 lbs. instead of 12 lbs. of 

 oatsj the barley being considered in that propor- 

 tion more nutritive than oats, owing to the smaller 

 quantity of husk. 



Now it lollows from this, that we have no guide 

 on Avhich Ave can more securely rely than the 

 weight of vegetable nutritive matter to regulate 

 its consumption. Yet it has been contended that, 

 in the leeJing of (iu'm-horses, barley — though 

 lieavier than oats, and containing a larger quanti- 

 ty of extractive matter — docs not contain so much 

 nutritive substance. It is said to be more watery, 

 and therefore, if given Avcight for weight, to de- 

 prive horses of a portion of their regular nutri- 

 ment. An article in the 'British Famner's Maga- 

 zine, 't indeed, states the saving on leeding Avith 

 barley as amounting to £G per annum, for each 

 horse; but that grain Avas given, instead of oats, 

 by AA^eight, AAdthout any distinction beiAveen the 

 respective nutritiA'e qualities of either; noi does it 

 appear Avhether the statement Avas made li'om the 

 actual experience of an entire year, or Avas only 

 assumed to amount to it, from a calculation made 

 on the saAnngs of a shorter period. 



All account of its uses, in many instances, by 

 Sir John Sinclair,^ states its being almost uniform- 

 ly given Avith one-third of beans, bruised or broken 

 AA'ith the barley, or boiled, Avhich is considered the 

 better plan; though it certainly Avas not boiled for 

 regimental service, nor is the proportionate quan- 

 tities of barley and beans to oats stated: AA'e are 

 also led to belicA'c that the former have been in 

 most cases giA'en by measure, in consequence of 

 the cheaper price of barley. Here, or Big, Ave 

 also knoAv to be sometimes substituted Avith eco- 

 nomy ibr oats in the north, but the difference of 

 Aveight is not considered: in Nortblk, too, Mar- 

 shall tells us that, Avhen barley is unsaleable at re- 

 gular markets, it is sometimes given to horses, in 

 AAdiich case it is usually 'malted,' that is, steeped 

 for a feAv days until it begins to vegetate, in Avhich 

 state it is thought to be less heating than Avhen 



fiven in the natural state. Being also frequently 

 adly harvested, the pernicious effects of heat, or 

 must, are prcA^ented by boiling. 



We AA'ill not hazard an opinion on the propor- 

 tionate value of oats and barlej', Avhich can only 

 be fairly tried by first depriAdng tAA'o horses for 

 some days of any kind of corn, and then feeding 

 them for a considerable time upon equal Aveights 

 of each grain; but Ave certainly do feel someAvhat 

 sceptical about the A'alue so loudly insisted upon of 

 late, of boiled corn as food. That postmasters' 



* MarshalVs Minutes of .Agriculture, Digest, p. 4.3. 

 In another experiment, besides that mentioned in the 

 foregoing table, Sir Humphry Tixvy states the ditler- 

 ence between 100 parts of oats and barley to be — 



100 



100 



t No. IV. p. 486; but see also No. V. p. 637. 

 X In the British Farmer's Magazine, No. XI. p. 171. 

 V^OL. II.— 7 



horses, Avhich get an unlimited quantity, may be 

 benefited by it, Ave will not deny; and a mash of 

 boiled barley tAvice a Aveek Avill be found to im- 

 prove the general health of the animals, as evinced 

 by the sleekness and glossiness of their coats, as 

 it certainly has an opening and cooling efliect on 

 the boAvels, which cannot but be serviceable when 

 fare quantities are consumed of heating food; but 

 we may be permitted to doubt either its necessity 

 or its utility lor fiirm-horses, connnonly fed: or that 

 they require, in the winter months, more cooling 

 food than a bi'an mash, instead of their corn, Avith 

 an ounce of nitre, or common salt, on the Satur- 

 day night. 



There is also a fact stated upon the authority of 

 Sir John Sinclair, respecting the heating effects of 

 unusuail)^ large quantities of corn upon the health 

 of horses, Avhich is Avell worthy of attention. It 

 is that of an extensiA-e coach-master, Avho regu- 

 larly allowed thi'ee bushels of oats daily to each of 

 his sets of eight horses, out of Avhich, during the 

 course of many years' experience, he annually lost 

 a great number. Upon reflection, hoAvever, he 

 changed his mode of leeding, and allowed mstead 

 lor each set, — 



1 bushel of beans, 



1 ditto oats, 



I ditto hay and straAV cut into chaff; — 

 the consexjuence of Avhich Avas, that his horses 

 Avere as hearty and as able to perlbrm their Avork 

 as they Avere ever knoAvn, and that he has only 

 lost one since the adoption of that plan.* 



In gentlemen's stables no other than vieadow- 

 hny is generally admitted, and it is in all respects 

 the best; but farmers find more profitable uses for 

 it, in the feeding of fatting stock and coavs; and 

 clover, either alone or Avith rye-grass, sainfoin, or 

 tare-hay, though f oarser, answers every necessa- 

 ry purpose lor liirm-horses, more especially \Adien 

 cut into chaff and used along with straw. Sain- 

 foin is commonly esteemed the first, and clover the 

 next in quality, but tare-hay, if Avell made, is very 

 hearty food: tliey are, indeed, so nearly alike, that 

 it is unnecessary to dAvell upon their peculiar pro- 

 perties, and, Avcre there eAen greater difierence 

 between them, there is seldom much room for 

 choice, as Avhatever may be the produce of a farm, 

 it must be consumed, and no one thinks of pur- 

 chasing fodder for the Avorking cattle. 



SJxpense. 



From the fbregomg statements, the necessary 

 information may be collected as to the quantity 

 and kind of food on Avhich farm-horses may be 

 supported at constant labor. They lead also to 

 the important consideration of the anmtal cost of a 

 team, and of the labor it may be expected to per- 

 form, Avithout an accurate knoAvledge of Avhicli no 

 correct estimate can be made of the general ex- 

 penses of cultivation, or of the particular charges 

 on separate crops. 



The quantity of the different articles of food, in 

 fact, depends on the size of the horses and the 

 labor they perform; the A'alue, upon the prices of 

 different seasons, and in CA^cry season upon the 

 situation of the farm in respect to markets, partic- 

 ularly hay and roots, Avhich bring \-eiy diiferent 

 prices at large toAAms, and at a fcAV miles distance. 

 It is for these reasons that the yearly expense of 



* Scottish Husbandry, vol. ii., Append. No. 23, 



