MIXTURE OF FOOD. 85 



horses during tlie periods of teething, as well as for old horses 

 having defective teeth or weakened digestive powers, boiled 

 corn is much to be preferred. Damaged grain of all kinds, if 

 used, should invariably be subjected to the cooking process ; 

 but it should be remembered that all steamed or boiled foods 

 must be consumed before fermentation commences in them. 

 Boiling or steaming ought to be applied only to whole grain, 

 and should not reduce it to pulp, as horses dislike " slops." A 

 little salt added to such food renders it more palatable, and 

 probably tends to keep it sweet for a longer period. 



MIXTURE OF FOOD. 



For working horses, it is necessary that the food consist of 

 a mixture of different kinds; for though health may be main- 

 tained on hay or grass alone, yet whenever exertion exceeds 

 that of mere exercise, more nutriment is required to compensate 

 for the waste, and if hay or grass only is allowed, such a 

 quantity of these must be consumed as will cause great incon- 

 venience to the animal by the distension they create, while a 

 long time is needed for their mastication and digestion. There- 

 fore grain must be given to supplement the hay, and this in 

 proportion to the amount of work exacted ; but even a mixture 

 of grain, when this has to be given, is very advantageous, from 

 an economical and dietetic point of view. Thus it is found 

 that oats, and beans or peas, and maize and oats, are more 

 beneficial than either of these grains given singly ; and a varia- 

 tion in their relative proportion, at intervals, is also strongly 

 recommended. So it is that in the diet scale of large studs we 

 often find two or three kinds of grain in the ration, in addition 

 to the hay and straw, roots and grass. 



With regard to mixture of food, the object should be to 

 furnish what is deficient in one kind of grain by another grain 

 which contains it in large proportions. 



