Feeding and Conditioning of Htmters 



last feed at night necessary in some cases will be 

 resented by many stud-grooms. I will estimate the 

 average food per diem as follows: oats, 14 lbs. ; hay, 

 10 lbs. ; and straw for litter, about 10 lbs. per diem. 

 There are numerous works on sale which lay 

 down the quality of forage. They may be theo- 

 retically applied, but an expert will show you good 

 stuff from bad. A farmer or good local dealer 

 are the best purveyors to a hunting-man. Foreign 

 stuff I do not advise. Old oats, large, hard and 

 clean are the best ; they can with advantage be 

 laid in store in the spring. Then a well-venti- 

 lated store-house is required, and the oats should 

 be turned over monthly. Generally horses digest 

 crushed oats best. Hay is not so easily diagnosed 

 as to quality; the best is generally *^well made" 

 and cut at the right time. Good hay always looks 

 and smells well ; its stalks should not be soft and 

 flabby. A stack can be best judged when it has 

 been cut up and trussed. As to ingredients, beans 

 and peas are useful and an important article in 

 a hunting stable; they are to be used with great 

 caution in the case of young horses as they are 

 heating as food. When a horse is doing hard 

 work, two or three pounds a day is quite enough. 

 Probably the best ^* chaff " (which should be given 

 in every feed of corn, as it makes a horse masticate 

 and digest his corn better), is of clover and rye- 

 grass hay when obtainable. 



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