470 



F A R M Ji R S' REGISTER, 



composed of a great number of plants, differing 

 much or little from each other in structure, compo- 

 Biiion, and duration. Some of the natural grasses 

 are to the horse mere weed?, destitute ol' nutri- 

 ment, thouifh not positively injurious. Several are 

 rejected, or eaten only when there is nolhiriir else 

 to eat, and none are sufficiently rich to maintain 

 the horse in conditmn for constant work, even 

 thousli the work be moderate. At a jrentle pace, 

 lie miiy travel a few miles today, but he is unfit 

 lor a journey to-morrow. By cuttin<T the crrass 

 and brin<iin2 it to the stable, the horse may be 

 saved the labor of collecting it; but still he can 

 render very little service. 



Grass, however, or green herbage of some kind, 

 is given to almost all horses during a part of the 

 year. The young animals, from the time they are 

 weaned till they are fit for work, receive grass as 

 long as it can he had. Hunting and racing colts 

 excepted, they receive linle else. 



It is commonly believed that (jrass has some re- 

 novating and purifying properties not possessed by 

 hay nor by corn. It is true that all the kinds of 

 green herbage, including clover, saintfoin, lucerne, 

 tares and ryegrass, produce a chf-inge tipon the 

 horse. But whether the change be lor better or 

 tor worse, is another question. For the first two 

 or three days, green meat relaxes the bowels, and 

 increases the secretion of urine and of perspiration. 

 Very often it produces an eruption on the skin, 

 particularly when given along with a large allow- 

 ance of corn. When tlie horse is permitted to 

 eat what he pleases, the belly becomes large. 

 These etiects may be termed immediate. They 

 are most apparent at the commencement, but are 

 "Visible so long as the horse receives anv consider- 

 able quanli'y of grass. Green meat produces 

 other effects not so easily traced. Wotinds heal 

 more kindly, inflammatory diseases are not so 

 fatal, and chronic diseases It-equently abate, or 

 they entirely disappear under the use of grass. 

 The horse, however, is always soft, when led 

 much on green meat. He sweats a great deal, and 

 is soon exhausted by his work. 



Clover, ryegra!<s, tares, lucerne, saintfoin., and 

 the oat-plant are all used as grepn meal. So far 

 as the horse is concerned, one seems to be as good 

 as any of the others. They appear to produce the 

 same effect as grass. Amid such variety we might 

 expect to find some difference, but I have not been 

 able to perceive any. Some horses, indeed, like 

 one article better than another, but this seems to 

 be mere taste, for no one of them appears to be 

 generally preferred nor rejected. There are various 

 opinions, however, as to the comparative value of 

 these articles. Some affirm that clover is less nu- 

 tritious than ryegrass, some that tares are poor 

 watery leedins, and others that lucerne and saint- 

 foin are the best of the whole lot. But opinion on 

 the subject seems to be quite vague. Whatever 

 one affirms another will be found to deny. In 

 Scotland, lucerne and saintfoin are very little used; 

 but clover, rye-grass and tares, are given each in 

 their season, as if one were equal to another. 



Beans, wheat, rye and oats, the whole plant, 

 are sometimes, but very seldom, and never regu- 

 larly, used as food for horses. Cabbage, and some 

 other green articles, are eaten, but they deserve no 

 particiilar notice. Several, which form the ordi- 

 nary grepn meat of horses in other countries, are 

 not grown here. The leaves and clippings of the 

 v,viue are much used in many parts o(^ France. 



Whin, Furze, or Gome. This is an abundant 

 and cheap plant. It is very good green meat (or 

 horses, and is procured when there is no other. To 

 sick horses it, is an excellent substitute for grass, 

 and many will eat it when they will eat nothing 

 else ; hut it hits been extensively tried as an article 

 of ordinary feeding. It has long been used in 

 rr.any parts of Wales and Scotland, and in several 

 of the Irish counties. Mr. Tytler of Balmain 

 was the first, I understand, to publish a useful ac- 

 count of its properties. His essay will be found 

 in the tifih volume of the Highland Society's 

 IVansactions. '■ It appears that, (or five succes- 

 sive years, Mr. Tytler led his (arm horses from the 

 l)egirining of November to the middle of March, 

 on furze and si r'l.w, with a very moderate allow- 

 ance of oats during only ti pan of that, time. At 

 first oats were given throughout the winter, but af- 

 terwards only from the beginning of February, 

 and then only at the rate of three pounds two oz., 

 or about one third of a peck, of average quality to 

 each ; the daily allowance of (iirze during the first, 

 period being twenty-eight pounds, and during the 

 second eighteen pounds, witli Iburteen of straw. 



" The whins were cut by a woman. Provided 

 with a pair of siotit hedge gloves, a sheep-skin 

 apron, a reaping hook, and a forked stick, she 

 drew the plains to her with the (brk, and cutoff 

 the succulent shoots of the year's growth. These 

 being laid in bundles compressed by a stroke of 

 the (hot, were ready (or carting. Sufficient for a 

 dozen horses at their fullest fi'ed, could be cut in 

 six or seven hours. A mule and boy carted the 

 load to the farm yard, where the mule was yoked 

 to a bruising mill. This consisted of an old mill- 

 stone, mounted upon a horizontal axle twelve (eet 

 long, attached by one end to a post, round which 

 the stone revolved on a paved circular bed, eight 

 feet in diameter. To the other extremity a swin- 

 gle-tree was hung (or yoking the mule. The 

 whins were spread i;i the course, and turned over 

 until sufficiently crushed. This process occupied 

 about three hours. 



" The daily expense of feeding eight horses 

 was thus calculated by Mr. Tytler: 



Nov. to Feb. tell, to Mar. 

 s. d. s. d. 



Woman's wages, 6 4 



Part wages of boy, 4 3 



Part keep of mule, 4 3 



1 cwt. of straw, 2 2 



25 lbs. of oats, 2 6 



3 2 5 4" 



By this it appears that the keep of each horse 

 per day amounted to only fourpence three larthings 

 in the first period, and eightpence in the second. 

 The work was the same as that of other Berwick- 

 shire teams, which is by no means light ; and Mr. 

 Tytler says, the horses not only kept, but improved 

 their condition during the whole season ; but they 

 began to show a distaste to the whins about the 

 commencement of spring. 



Furze is generally used on the frontiers of 

 France and Spain ; and the British cavalry while 

 in the Pyrenees, under the Duke of Wellington, 

 had no other forage. 



According to the Mid-Lo!hian Report (Appen- 

 dix, No, vi, p. 56) it has been found that an acre 

 of vv'hins is sufficient lor six horses, during four 

 months ; that they require two years to produce 



