CHAPTER Xm. 

 FEEDING, WATERING AND GROOMINO. 



I. THE GOOD THAT A SIEVE WILL DO. II. HOW TO FEED. III. WHEN TO FEED. 



IV. WHAT TO FEED. V. CONDIMENTS. VI. HOW TO MAKE MASHES. VII. 



HOW TO MAKE GRUEL. VIII. THE QUANTITY OF GRAIN TO FEED. IX. HAY AND 



STRAW. X. GROOMING. XI. WHEN TO GROOM. XII. GENERAL STABLE 



CAKE. XIII. BLANKETS AND OTHER CLOTHING. 



I. The Good that a Sieve WiU Do. 



There is, of course, such a thing as beingtoo methodical, but more fail- 

 ures result from want of proper attention to the little things that go to 

 make up the whole, than from too minute an attention to details. A com- 

 petent knowledge of the requirements in every case, combined with accu- 

 rate judgment to carry each one out according to its relation to the whole, 

 is what marks a man of sensible, methodical habits, by contrast with one 

 who works at random, or neglects some detail that may be of the first 

 importance. 



How few farmers, for instance, think it necessary to have a sieve for 

 cleaning the grain which is fed to horses ! And yet, this is one of the 

 most important of the minor implements of the stable. The use of a 

 sieve saves cleaning the dirt from the feeding boxes ; saves horses the an- 

 noyance of swallowing bits of wire and other trash, quite common in 

 these days of automatic binders ; saves the teeth of the animals from 

 being broken on gravel, or other hard substances in the grain, and gives 

 one the satisfaction of knowing that the horse is enjoying a meal, clean 

 and wholesome as that of his master. Many careful men wash the grain 

 after it is cleaned from trash in the sieve ; which is a most sensible opera 

 tion, avid an easy one, since you have only to drop the sieve partly in 

 water and shake it, or pour a bucket of water over it and let it drain. 

 II. How to Peed. 



A horse must be fed with reference to what he is to do. The horse 

 doing slow but hard and exhausting labor, should have all the clean, 

 sound grain he will eat three times a day, with as much clean, sweet hay 

 at night as he will consume, though we seldom find hay so fine and good 

 that all will be eaten. The grain, during the heat of summer, should be 

 oats, in cooler weather oats and corn, while in winter the corn may con- 

 stitute fully half the ration. 



If cut feed be used, half oats and half corn, ground together, may be 

 used, and this mixed with one-third its bulk, not weight, of bran. When 

 the animals are fed whole grain, this mess should be given two or three 

 times a week, at evening, as a change. 



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