134 FOOD 



water to the thickness of starch, is given with good effect in over-piirging, 

 and especially if combined with chalk and opium. 



Bean, or the ground husk of the wheat, used to be frequently given to 

 sick horses on account of the supposed advantage derived from its relaxing 

 llie bowels. There is no doubt that it does operate gently on the intestinal 

 canal, and assists in quickening the passage of its contents, when it is oc- 

 casionally given ; but it must not be a constant, or even frequent food. 

 Mr. Ernes attended three mills at which many horses were kept, and there 

 were always two or three cases of indigestion from the accumulation of 

 bran or pollard in the large intestines. Bran may, however, be useful as 

 an occasional aperient in the form of a mash, but never should become a 

 regular article of food. 



Beans. — These form a striking illustration of the principle, that the 

 nourishing or strengthening eS'ects of the different articles of food depend 

 more on some peculiar property which they possess, or some combination 

 which they form, than on the actual quantity of nutritive matter. Beans 

 contain but five hundred and seventy parts of nutritive matter, yet they 

 add materially to the vigour of the horse. There are many horses that 

 will not stand hard work without beans beingmingled with their food, and 

 these not horses whose tendency to purge it may be necessary to restrain 

 by the astringency of the bean. There is no traveller who is not aware of 

 the difference in the spirit and continuaiice of his horse whether he allows 

 or denies him beans on his journey. They afford not merely a temjDorary 

 stimulus, but they may be daily used without losing their power, or pro- 

 ducing exhaustion. They are indispensable to the hard-worked coach 

 horse. Washy horses could never get through their work ■\vithou.t them ; 

 and old horses Avould often sink under the task imposed upon them. They 

 should not be given to the horses whole or split, but crushed. This will 

 make a material difference in the quantity of nutriment that will be ex- 

 tracted. They are sometimes given to turf horses, but only as an occa- 

 sional stimulant. Two pounds of beans may, with advantage, be mixed 

 Avith the chaff of the agricultural horse, during the winter. In summer 

 the quantity of beans should be lessened, or they should be altogether dis- 

 continued. Beans ai'€! generally given whole. This is very absurd ; for 

 the young horse, whose teeth are strong, seldom requires them ; while the 

 old horse, to whom they are in a manner necessary, is scarcely able to 

 masticate them, swallows many of them whole which he is unable to break, 

 and drops much corn from his mouth in the ineffectual attempt to crush 

 them. Beans should not be merely split, but crushed ; they will even then 

 give sufficient employment to the grinders of the animal. Some post- 

 masters use chaff with beans instead of oats. With hardly- worked horses 

 they may possibly be allowed ; but, in general cases, beans, without oats, 

 would be too binding and stimulating, and would produce costiveness, and 

 probably megrims or staggers. 



Beans should be at least a twelvemonth old before they are given to the 

 horse, and should be plump, and carefully preserved from damp and 

 mouldiness, which at least disgust the horse if they do no other harm, 

 and harbour an insect that destroys the inner part of the bean. 



The straw of the bean is nutritive and wholesome, and is usually given 

 to the horses. Its nutritive properties are supposed to be little inferior to 

 those of oats. 



Peas are occasionally given. They appear to be in a slight degree more 

 nourishing than beans, and not so heating. They contain five hundred 

 and seventy-four parts of nutritive matter. For horses of slow Avork they 

 may be used ; but the quantity of chaff should be increased, and a few 

 oats added. They have not been found to answer with horses of quick 



