BFIAN. 25 



little salt, may be given at night when soft food is 

 required. 



Bran. English bran consists of the envelope which 

 surrounds the grains of wheat, while the flour is al- 

 most completely separated. The outer portion of this 

 envelope is indigestible, and acts, mechanically, as a 

 gentle laxative; while the inner layer (according to 

 Mege Mouries) has the same property as diastase in 

 converting starch into sugar, and consequently aids 

 in the process of digestion. English bran is therefore 

 of itself unsuitable as a food. Indian bran, on the 

 contrary, owing to imperfect manufacture, retains a 

 considerable portion of the flour, which supplies nutri- 

 ment ; so that horses, doing slow work, may be kept 

 in good condition on 10 or 12fts. of it alone, without 

 other grain. Given even in these quantities, it hard- 

 ly ever purges a horse ; on the contrary, if an animal 

 gets " foul " and " loose " from too much corn, nothing 

 is better than to keep him simply on dry bran and 

 grass for a few days ; after which time his dung will 

 become well formed and healthy looking. 



Dry bran seems to have a binding effect, or at least, 

 one opposed to a lax condition of the bowels. This 

 is probably owing to a healthy action of the stomach 

 and intestines being induced by bulk being given to 

 the food, without the addition of a large proportion 

 of nutriment which would have a stimulating effect. 



Wet bran, in the form of mash, is a laxative. 



I am very partial to the use of bran with hacks and 

 ordinary horses when oats are not used, and would 

 advise that 3 or 4ft>s. of it be given daily in a dry state, 



