FOOD. 15 



mixture of gram and rice, although at first some of 

 them refused it. In Japan rice is the only grain 

 horses get, and the pack ponies of that country are 

 hardy beasts, and appear to work well on it. If the 

 rice can be crushed, it is all the better ; and in Bengal 

 and Assam there is no difficulty in getting this done, 

 as it is the food of the people, and they grind it for 

 their own use. 



Millet (bajara). 



The various millets, known in South Africa as 

 " Kaffir-corn," are not often used in India as horse 

 food, but in the Cape it sometimes is. In India 

 the millet is a summer crop harvested in the 

 autumn. The seeds are small, and of a dark or 

 greyish colour. It requires to be crushed before use, 

 as the husk is very hard. 



Pulses (dhal). 



The various species of pulse grains enter largely 

 into the food of the natives of India. Two, known 

 as " mung " and " mote," or " moat," are excellent 

 for getting flesh on thin, debilitated animals. 

 They are both small oblong seeds of an olive green 

 colour, with a very hard husk, and can be obtained 

 in any bazaar. I prefer the mote to the mung* 



