The Care of Stock. 267 



The 'only exception to this is when the horses are very hard at 

 work ; then we let them have about all the hay they will eat 

 during the night. But they do not eat all the time then, but 

 rather eat for a time and then lie down, and towards morning 

 get up and eat some more. In the morning and at noon they are 

 only moderately fed, and always so fed when idle or doing. only 

 light work. A horse can eat grass in the field constantly, or all 

 it wants during the day and night, and do well. But grass is a 

 natural and easily digested food. Hay is not as easily digested, 

 not even dried grass. The horse does not know this. The 

 owner should exercise judgment for him. We often hear clover 

 hay objected to as more likely to produce heaves. I was asking 

 Dr. Turner, State Veterinarian of Missouri, in regard to this last 

 winter, and he said heaves were caused by a rupture of some of 

 the air cells of the lungs. This rupturing was done by coughing 

 and the coughing was caused by dust. That clover hay was more 

 liable to be dusty than timothy, that was all. There was nothing 

 about good clover hay to produce heaves. I asked him if a 

 horse over-ate, was allowed to fill himself very full of clover, and 

 then was pulled hard, whether heaves might not be caused. He 

 thought not. Said the horse might be uncomfortable from being 

 so full, but heaves could not result. Clover hay is certainly more 

 liable to be dusty than timothy. It is quite difficult to have it 

 always bright and perfect. When I used to do my own feeding, 

 I fed the hay dry, unless I found some that wa$ dusty. But of 

 late when others feed for me, I have a rule that "'all the hay shall 

 be sprinkled when fed. We have water right by the stable door, 

 you will remember, so it is not much trouble with a garden 

 sprinkler to wet the hay a little in the mangers, as it is fed to the 

 horses. With care, I do not think clover need produce heaves. 

 Still there is a difference in horses. I have one horse that all the 

 dust in the mow would never affect, and another that it will not 

 do to be careless with. We water horses three times a day, and 

 in hot weather, when they are at work, they get some in the 

 middle of forenoon and afternoon. With this moistened hay I 

 do not think it makes any difference whether they are watered 

 before feeding or after. I have usually done the latter way. 

 Where much grain was fed, perhaps the former would be better. 

 But I believe the main thing is for them to have enough and often, 

 and not have to go so long and get so thirsty that they drink 

 large quantities at once. 



I would feed cattle the same as horses, no more at once than 

 they would eat up clean and quickly and with a relish. As to 

 watering, cows and steers seem to be different from horses. Some 

 will drink well twice a day and I have had many that would not, 

 but would drain a pretty large tub when they did drink. I usu- 

 ally have offered them water twice a day when feeding high for 

 beef or milk, but all would not drink twice. Perhaps this is 



