12 STABLE MANAGEMENT. 



forage they get there is a considerable quantity of 

 grain ; and although I have never seen it used, the 

 experiment of feeding on oats and maize would be 

 worth while trying in India. In South Africa maize 

 is usually given whole, but in any of the towns it 

 can be obtained crushed, and it is better to give it 

 in this state. During the Afghan War maize was 

 plentiful in some parts of the country, and I gave 

 it to some of the horses that I had charge of. I 

 had it parched on hot sand, in the same way 

 as barley (adarwah) is parched, making it into 

 American pop-corn. With certain somewhat thin 

 and debilitated animals it had a marked effect in 

 getting flesh on them, and all horses eat it greedily. 

 In India maize is a summer crop, ripening in the 

 autumn, when the ears or cobs are picked off the 

 stalks. It is stored in the cob, and the individual 

 grains knocked off as required by rapping them 

 against a stick ; but they must be turned over in the 

 heap occasionally, as rats and mice are likely to 

 cause damage, particularly the musk rat, that taints 

 everything it comes into contact with. Horses have 

 frequently been brought to me, said to be off their 

 feed, and on inquiry I have found this only to be 

 caused by the grain being tainted by musk rats, 

 and that when a clean feed is offered to them they 



