6 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. I 



for the hard working draught horse. In the mar- 

 ket it brings 20 per cent, more than meadow or 

 rye-grass. Hard upland meadow hay is prefer- 

 red for hunters or racers, because, I suppose, 

 they are apt tc eat too much of the clo- 

 ver. In Scotland, rye-grass hay, or a mixture of 

 rye-grass and clover, is considered the best for all 

 horses. The greater part of the hay in Scotland 

 is bad. 



Hay differs very much in its quahty, not only 

 from the different plants of which it is composed, 

 but from its method of curing, its age, and the 

 manner of its preservation. New hay is not 

 good (or the horse. If confined to it without any 

 mixture of oats, he is apt to be purged and conse- 

 quently debilitated. The horse is ibnd of it, and 

 will eat a large quantity, but such hay is ditHcult 

 of digestion, and much of it passes, little altered 

 in iis appearance, and propably without having 

 parted with its nutritive properties. On the other 

 hand, hay which is too old, is dry, tasteless, brittle, 

 and'has evidently lost much ol'its value as an article 

 of food. According to Mr. Clark, "good hay is 

 about a year old, long and large, hard, tough, 

 its color inclining to green rather than to white: it 

 lias a sweet taste and a pleasant smell; the seed 

 is abundant, (proving it was not cut till nearly ripe;) 

 inlljsed in hot water it produces a rich dark color- 

 ed tea. The less dust hay has about it the better; 

 but fi-om the soil, and the way in which hay is 

 made here (England) it is seldom free from dust. 

 In damp weather hayahsorbs much moisture, and of 

 course weighs a good deal the heavier. The mar- 

 ket weight of new hay till the 4th of September is 

 60 pounds the truss, of old hay 56 pounds. 



One of the worst kinds of hay lor the horse is 

 that which has been over heated, or, as it is com- 

 monly exfTcssed, moio-burnt. To cure hay well, 

 it is necessary that it should pass through a sweat- 

 ingor heating process; this developes the saccha- 

 rine qualities of the grass, and confers upon it 

 addtional nutritive power. This process is the 

 more necessary in curing sreen hay, audit is usu- 

 ally peribrmed in the cock ; (and in clover this cu- 

 rative process can he performed so well in no other 

 way ,)while that which standstill its juices are 

 perfected by ripening. re(iuires, and is capable of 

 but a very slight degree of sweating. If this ler- 

 mentaiion is arrested at the proper time, and ex- 

 posure to the air instantly does this, the hay is the 

 better for it ; but il" carried loo far, or ifj as too fre- 

 quently the case, the hay is put into the barn too 

 early, iermentation or heatinjgoes on till the nutri- 

 tive properties are mostly orentirely dissipaied, the 

 hay becomes rotten, black and worhless, or is in the 

 condition that is known as mow burnt. Wlirn 

 this kind of hay is fed to horses, thev will select 

 and eat small quanties of it; and if compelled by 

 hunger to eat more, its bad eff'ects will soon be 

 discovered. It is doubtless the worst (bod a horse 

 can receive; and when purchased, it is probably 

 the dearest. To some horses, such as are employ- 

 ed in last work, its diuretic qualities render it de- 

 structive; good straw is far better than such hay for 

 any animal ; but cattle suffer less from mow-burnt 

 hay than horses. Musty hay is different in some 

 respects, li'om mow-burnt hay ; as it is more apt 

 to eflect the wind, or producedisordersofthe lungs; 

 wiiile It is not positively injurious or poisonous in 

 others respects, like the first kind described, ft is 

 known by its unpleasant smell, bad color^ and odor, 



and bitter taste. Examination shows such hay to 

 be coated with fungi, or minute mushrooms. The 

 smell of musty hay is most distinct when breathed 

 upon; and a horse alter eating a few mouthfuls will 

 sometimes turn from it with disgust. Old hay that 

 has never been heated, if exposed to damp air, 

 will sometimes become musty; and in that state ia 

 wretched stuff' for any animal. 



Mr. Youatt, in the 'Veterinarian,' says very 

 justly,— 



"It ought to be understood that food ought lo 

 possess bulk in some degree proportioned to the 

 capacity ot the digestive organs. Nutriment can 

 be given in a very concentrated form, yet it is impro- 

 per to condense it beyond a certain point. Corn 

 (grain) alone will give all the nourishment which 

 any horse can need, but he must also have some 

 fodder to give bulk to the corn, though it need not 

 of necessity yield much nutriment." 



Let a man who doubts the necessity of feeding 

 his horse or any thing but grain, try living on 

 pemmican, or the concentrated essence of heel] 

 for a while, and he would be glad of a slice of' 

 bread, though containing much less positive nour- 

 ishment: even if the bread was of the coarsest kind 

 ever compounded by Dr. Graham. 



'JMie quantity of grain allowed a horse, the 

 quality of the hay, and the labor to be performed, 

 must all be taken into consideration in determining 

 his daily allowance. Baron Bulow, the german ag- 

 riculturist, estimates the 8 pouuds of good meadow 

 hay, or 7 if made from clover or sainfoin, is equal in 

 nourishment to 3 pounds of oats. Eight pounds of 

 good hay and 15 to 18 pounds of oats, have been 

 proved sufficient for fast work, that is for coach 

 horses who work only one or two hours a day, but 

 while in use go at a great pace. Heavy team 

 horses will consume from twenty to thirty pounds, 

 for the necessity for limiting these as to quantity 

 does not exist. If the work is to be fast, the hay 

 must be limited in the quantity, or he will have a 

 large belly, which is incompatible with fast travel- 

 ing. 



We know of some farmers who keep their horses 

 on hay alone, unless some hard day's work is to 

 be done, when perhaps lialf bushel of oats is al- 

 lowed them in the morning. It is not disputed 

 that a horse can live on hay; but if the farmer 

 who treats his horse in this way would properly 

 appreciate the advantage they derive li'om the 

 oais for that day's labor, he should live on bread 

 and water for a fortnight, and when compelled to 

 perform a seven days labor, indulge his stomach 

 with a slice of ham or steak. A horse kept ou 

 hay alone always has a tendency to become fee- 

 ble and pot-bellied. A little grain, a lew roots, 

 or even a mash of bran, if given only once in two 

 days will aid materially in keejiing him in good 

 heart and flesh. There is a material difference 

 between a horse that eats to live, and one that 

 eats to work ; and it should be remembered that 

 the stomach and bowels will hardly hold sufficient 

 hay to keep even an idle horse alive. 



Straw has been of late somewhat extensively 

 used as a substitute fiir hay; and when cut into 

 chaff', as it always should be, and mixed with the 

 ground or boiled grain it is found to answer every 

 purpose; and the horse will perform his work as 

 well as on hay. If as some have contended, a 

 (juart more of oats daily is required where straw 

 is substituted lor hay, there is still a saving, where. 



