14 



ence, providing reasonable judgment is used. After prolonged mus- 

 cular exertion, horses should naturally receive water before being fed. 

 It is not wi.se to change suddenly from one system of watering to 

 another. 



A food is valuable as a source of nutrition, only in 



Digestibility proportion as its various nutrients can be digested and 



of Foods by assimilated. Experiments have shown that hor.ses 



Horses. digest their food less thoroughly than ruminants. 



The difference is especially marked in case of the 

 crude or woody hber, and is explained on the ground that the food 

 consumed by horses is less thoroughly chewed, and is retained for a 

 shorter period in the digestive tract. The results of all American 

 digestion experiments are found in Lindsey's Compilation. (14th 

 Report of the Hatch experiment station p. 214). 



The results of the numerous experiments made by 



Digestible Nu- \arious investigators, as well as extensive compila- 



trients Needed tions of the rations fed by cab and express compa- 



Daily. nies are stated in the following table* and show the 



quantity of the several nutrients required by horses 

 under a variety of conditions. 



* Taken from Bulletin 125, Office of Experiment .'Stations. U. .'^. Department of Agri- 

 culture. The authors have drawn freely from this excellent publication in the pieparation 

 of this paper. 



t Includes fat multiplied by 2 25. 



