270 • THE HORSE 



speaking, hacks are of small size, and they do not, therefore, require more 

 than an average allowance of food, on which footing I have calculated their 

 hay and corn; but if it so happens that any of my readers have a hack of 

 full size, he must make allowance accordingly. These horses are now very 

 commonly allowed a water tank, constantly supplied with water, and in that 

 case there is no necessity for doing more than to see that it is daily cleansed, 

 and that the ball-cock acts properly. When they are watered from the 

 bucket, the groom generally gives it them in moderate quantity early in the 

 morning and in the afternoon feed, finishing with a full allowance at night. 

 Harness Horses are fed in much the same way as hacks, but if they are 

 used for a close carriage and are of full size they must have more hay than 



1 have named, by fully a quarter of a hundredweight weekly. 



Ponies may be kept with very little corn, one or two quarterns a day, accord- 

 ing to size, being all that is generally allowed. They will eat from 60 lbs. to 

 75 lbs. of hay weeklj'', and they are as much benefited by chaff" as large horses. 



Farm Horses are treated very differently in different localities, indepen- 

 dently of the various fancies indulged in by individuals: their work also 

 being subject to great changes, accoi"ding to the seasons, it is necessary to 

 apportion their food in the same ratio. Again, it happens sometimes that 

 oats or beans are scarce and dear, and the farmer, if he grows them, will be 

 inclined to sell them and use some cheaper kind of food for his horses, or, if 

 he has to buy, he will still more carefully look out for a substitute at a lower 

 price. The following are the most usual modes of feeding these horses, as 

 far as I have been able to ascertain. 



Plan I. — Adopted throughout the Midland counties. Weekly allowance 

 per horse in November, December, and January — £ s. d. 



1^ bushels of oats, 1 peck of beans, and 1 cwt. of hay, costing for three months .600 



Ditto through February, March, and April — 



2 bushels of oats, 1 4 pecks of beans, and 1 cwt. of hay, costing 7 



Ditto May, June, and July — 



3 pecks of oats, 1 peck of beans, and vetches or lucerne, costing 5 



Ditto in August, September, and October — 



1 bushel of oats, ^ bushel of beans, clover, pea straw, etc., costing .....600 



Total yearly cost 210 



In districts where oats are scarce, bran or pollard is mixed with beans, and 

 given as follows : — 



Weekly allowance in the autumn quarter — £ s. d. 



IJ bushels of oats, 2 pecks of spilt beans, and 1 cwt. of hay, costing for three 



months 7 10 



Ditto in the winter quarter — 



2 J bushels of pollard, 2 pecks of split beans, 56 lbs. of swedes, and barley or pea 



straw, costing for the three months 5100 



Ditto in the spring quarter — 

 2^ bushels of pollard, 2 pecks of split beans, and U cwt. of hay, costing ... 7 10 



Ditto in the summer quarter — 



2 bushels of bran, 1 peck of split beans, clover, vetches, or tares, costing ... 5 



Total yearly cost 25 10 



