ii6 



ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



Vetches 

 and tares. 



Oats and 

 rye. 



Other 

 cereals 

 (wheat, 

 barley). 



Furze. 



Carrots. 



Feeding 



green 



stutf. 



Quantity 

 to be 

 s:iven. 



"Soilinf 



" Vetches " or " tares " are sown from winter to spring with the 

 object of producing a green food during spring and summer, either 

 alone or with oats or rye, and form the "green meat'"' which is sold in 

 bundles throughout England. They are plants of the pea tribe, with 

 blue, yellow or purple flowers, and should be cut just before they come ■ 

 into seed. 



Oats and Rye are sown in England for green food, the former usually 

 with tares and the latter alone ; they should be cut before the head has 

 hardened and while the stem and leaf is quite juicy and tender. 



Other ce?'eals {ju/ieat, barley) may also be used green, and in India 

 and other countries often are ; in fact almost any green crop may be 

 utilized for feeding animals when necessary, millet and uiaize stalks^ sugar 

 cane^ gui?iea grass^ and bamboo leaves all being useful when obtainable. 



Furze. — When cut young and well bruised, this is an excellent fodder, 

 and is in use in some parts of Ireland as a general horse fo(jd. It was 

 largely used for the mounted troops during the Peninsular War. 



Carrots, whether of the red or white type, are greatly appreciated by 

 all horses, and even in the smallest quantities are nmch relished when 

 mixed with the food. When only a pound or two, as is usually the case, 

 can be given each animal, this is by far the best means of feeding them. 

 After being scrubbed, they should be cut into small slices, lengthwise and 

 not across, as the latter method may cause a greedy animal to choke. 



Feedijig gree?i stuff. — In spring and summer a judicious mixture ot 

 green stuff with the usual ration is advisable for all working horses. 

 It should not be given in large quantities suddenly, especially to 

 horses in work ; but a few pounds daily mixed with the hay and chopped 

 Avith the feed are most appetizing, and assist the digestion by being 

 slightly laxative. In large quantities, green food may produce diarrhoea 

 and even colic, and discretion must always be used in introducing it 

 into the ration. Carrots may be regarded in the same Hght, and they 

 have the advantage of being procurable when green meat is out of 

 season. Wlien feeding entirely on green foods thirty-five to forty 

 pounds is not an excessive amount to give ; but for service horses this is 

 rarely advisable, and about ten pounds may be taken as a maximum 

 addition to the ration. 



The tendency of horses to gorge themselves on green stuff, if allowed 

 to, must be borne in mind ; and it should not be left in the stable at night 

 in case some animal slips his head collar and finds his way to it. 

 " When sufficient grazing is procurable and feasible, it is always to be 

 preferred to "soiling," i.e.^ feeding green food in the stall. 



