194 FOOD. 



about the house. He wastes even that which Heaven has supph'ed in 

 the greatest abundance. He wastes the air; since, to obtain warmth, 

 he will not permit the horse to breathe other than atmosphere contami- 

 nated by the creature's excretions. He wastes the quadruped's strength ; 

 since he works it out of season, and is pleased to view the limbs, when 

 not in action, "cribbed and confined" within the narrow limits of a stall. 

 He upholds every ^buse. He is opposed to every improvement. The 

 sum which a fashionable groom costs his master is not to be estimated 

 by the money paid to the individual as wages. 



Hay, oats, and beans constitute the horse's daily sustenance. These 

 articles are quickly measured out, and do not soil the hand which appor- 

 tions them. No doubt the groom will resist any change in so convenient 

 a diet; but the subject, as it at present stands, concerns the liking of 

 no person. It simply involves a moral duty. Nature has sent food in 

 abundance and in variety. Is man justified, when he opposes nature's 

 obvious intention ? When he first imprisons a life, and then dooms it to 

 subsist for the period of its being on a monotony of provender, does he 

 act rightly or wisely? What motive can be urged strong enough to 

 warrant the pigmy in placing his insignificance between the creature 

 and the liberality of the Creator ? 



Horses are not confined to England. Elsewhere the quadrupeds thrive 

 on other food than hay, oats, and beans. The Arab, which stands first 

 among the tribe, and is by some writers recognized as the original of the 

 species, thrives on barley and on chopped straw. The American breed 

 rarely taste oats, being fed on Indian-corn ; as, likewise, are many ani- 

 mals inhabiting the south of Germany. Damaged wheat is eaten by 

 agricultural teams all over the world. Rye is given as a supporting 

 diet, when long journeys are traveled in Russia. In India, the cavalry 

 charger exists chiefly on a grain called "gram." In Ireland, the general 

 feed is raw potatoes. In Iceland, dried fish is employed as provender; 

 while during the needy period of the Crimean campaign, the English 

 horses devoured the tails of their stable associates. 



England, however, can supply or can import all the articles enumer- 

 ated. Why, therefore, are oftts preferred as the fittest food for horses? 

 The kernel of this grain is covered by a solid coat of chaff. That chaff 

 adds to the weight of the corn, and is charged to the purchaser as so 

 much nutritious matter. It is not supporting ; but it occupies space 

 when first taken into the stomach. That space allows the dried kernels 

 to swell without occasioning inconvenience to the animal ; for the same 

 moisture which enlarges the oat, also softens the husk, and allows it to 

 be compressed with little absolute force. 



As dry food, given separately, oats no doubt are the most wholesome 



