234 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



has been shown in the practice of Bedouin Arabs, of 

 certain peoples of northwestern Europe and now in Cali- 

 fornia, and other mountain states. It has been claimed that 

 barley, pound for pound, is more valuable as a food for 

 horses than oats, because of the much larger percentage oi 

 hull in oats, a claim that has not been sustained by evidence 

 based on experiment. It is not equal to oats for colts, being 

 somewhat lower in protein and ash, nor is it so palatable as 

 oats for long continued feeding. It may, however, be prof- 

 itably fed with oats to working horses, either whole or in 

 the crushed form in any proportions that the attendant cir- 

 cumstances will justify. Steamed until the grain has swollen 

 to maximum possible distension, and fed with a little bran 

 or oil cake added to it as frequently as may be found nec- 

 essary, tends to make flesh quickly and to improve the coat, 

 as when preparing horses for exhibition. 



Rye. Rye is probably the hardiest of the cereals, pro- 

 duces the best crops on poor land and grows over the widest 

 area. It is much grown on lands too low in fertility to yield 

 good crops of wheat, oats or barley. It is grown not only to 

 furnish grain but also pasture and green manure. Of the two 

 classes, winter and spring rye, the former is grown to a far 

 greater extent than the latter. In Europe, especially central 

 Europe, it is much grown as food for man and also for live 

 stock, including horses. In the United States, it is grown 

 almost entirely to furnish food for stock. It may be grown 

 successfully in almost every state in the Union. While its 

 constituents are much the same as those of wheat in prac- 

 tical feeding, it has been found from 5 to 10 per cent less 

 valuable, owing, it is thought, to the less degree of the pala- 

 tability. It is fed to horses and sheep in the unground form 

 but is ground when fed to cattle and also to swine, except 

 when swine are allowed to harvest it in the field. 



To calves and growing cattle, the aim should be to feed 

 rye in conjunction with some other grain product. What 

 has been said about feeding barley to these classes of ani- 

 mals will apply about equally to rye (see p. 232). It should 



