4 STABLE MANAGEMENT. 



or what I generally do is to pay my head 

 groom (syce) the regular bazaar rate (nirrick), 

 and get the women of his family to crush it, they 

 providing their own mill (chuckie). The only 

 disadvantage of this plan is that it is necessary 

 to weigh the grain a second time after it has been 

 crushed, otherwise it will be short, as natives eat 

 it themselves. But I found in the long run the 

 syces would not steal it ; natives are sharp enough 

 to see when any profit can be made, and it was 

 not to their advantage to give back short weight. 

 Excellent gram-crushing machines, working with 

 fluted rollers, are sold by several firms in India, 

 and are adjustable so as to take any grain. They 

 are made to fit into a box for travelling, which, 

 when in use, forms a stand for the crusher to work 

 on. They are, however, somewhat expensive, and 

 although admirable for a large stud of horses, are 

 hardly required for a private stable. If, however, 

 expense is no object, they are certainly prefer- 

 able to the native mill, as they are cleaner, 

 bits of grit not coming off the stone, and each 

 individual grain being crushed, which even the 

 best native mills will not do. Crushed grain is 

 much quicker digested than whole, particularly by 

 old horses whose teeth are not in good order, and 



