THE CARE OF HORSES. 293 



and horses have even less affinity than dogs for 

 dampness. Dryness of climate, says a recent writer, 

 " is the great factor in producing not only sound feet, 

 but sound limbs, tendons, and bone." However, it is 

 time to look a little closer at our stalls, and to see 

 what they contain in the way of 



Bedding. 



Here is a gamy-looking black mare standing on a 

 deep bed of dark brown stuff which might be, and 

 indeed has been, mistaken by the unsophisticated for 

 a muck-heap. I need hardly say that it is peat-moss. 

 It is not nice to look at, and one would rather see his 

 horses knee deep in golden straw ; but it has this 

 great advantage : it cannot be eaten even bj the most 

 voracious animal, and consequently it is suitable for 

 horses that devour their bedding and get too fat. 

 Moreover, it keeps the feet soft. No horse bedded 

 w r ith peat-moss ever requires to have his feet stopped ; 

 and it is invaluable in cases where the hoof is defect- 

 ive or deficient, and needs to be "grown out." Fur- 

 ther, it is free from odor, and incombustible. Some- 

 times peat-moss renders the frog too soft, so that the 

 horse, especially if he be used unshod, is apt to be- 

 come foot-sore, but this bad effect might always be 

 avoided by a frequent renewal of the peat-moss. 



And this brings us to the question of expense. The 

 material costs about $2.50 per bale, and each bale will 

 supply one box stall or two straight stalls. The peat- 

 moss should be forked over every day to mix the wet 

 and the dry. But how long does it last ? That de- 

 pends almost entirely upon the habit of the particular 

 horse in eating his hay ; if he eats it up clean, the 



