6(} NOTES FOR HUNTING-MEN 



put off their thrashing till February, which is con- 

 venient enough. 



As a rule, horses digest their oats better when 



they are crushed. Greedy feeders often bolt their 



Crushed uncrushed oats whole, as you can see by 



""^^^ looking at their droppings. If an animal 



is doing well I do not know that it is worth the 



labour to crush ; but certainly do so if you are not 



satisfied with the way a particular horse is looking. 



I think much greater attention should be paid 



than is generally done to the cleanliness of oats. 



I have found it a good plan to pass all mine 



Cldauiiaess 



through an inexpensive, easily erected, oat 

 cleaning machine, made by Mr. Lister, of Dursley ; 

 and the amount of dirt extracted from even the 

 cleanest looking oats is surprising. 



Hunters in hard work do not require a great 

 deal of hay, but what they do have should be of 

 the very best. A certain proportion of 

 seeds, namely, artificially sown hay, 

 generally rye grass and clover, is a good thing, 

 and is useful for cutting up as chaft\ Your horses 

 should not touch a blade of the previous year's 

 crop until the end of the season. I do not see any 

 advantage in giving them hay older than that of" 

 the summer before this, as, after that time, the 

 grasses are apt to lose their nature. Fitz-Wygram 

 will tell you all that books can of the judging of 



