THE COMPARATIVE COST OF VARIOUS FOODS 71 



ratios much above the required standard for hard 

 work : 



Eation I. Ration II. 

 Total nitrogenous substances _ 1 ,1 



Total carbohydrates + total fats x2"3 5*8 5*1* 



(including digestible fibre) 



And here, again, Eation II. proves to be the better 

 food, whilst both rations are unnecessarily rich in 

 proteins. 



It may be urged by some that oats and hay alone 

 form the best food for horses, and that the smaller the 

 admixture of maize the better. Whilst not denying the 

 merits of oats and hay, there are practical tests which 

 can be applied in the case of every ration, and it is well 

 to apply them before condemning a ration which is 

 effecting a considerable financial saving. These test 

 questions are : (1) Do the horses perform the work 

 required of them satisfactorily ? (2) Do they keep 

 up their condition without losing weight? (3) Is 

 the incidence of colic (digestive tract diseases) any 

 higher than when on the old ration? and (4) Is 

 the average working life of the horses as long as 

 formerly ? 



With any large stud of working horses these questions 

 can very soon be answered, and on the replies will 

 depend the endorsement or condemnation of the ration 

 fed. 



But to return to the Rations I. and II. considered 

 above, it is obvious that if Ration I. is enough for the 

 needs of a large number of horses of a similar type, and 

 doing similar work, to those fed on Ration 11, then the 

 latter ration (II.) is unnecessarily liberal, and might 



