MANAGEMENT OF BROOD MARES. 75 



dusty, moldy or otherwise spoiled clover hay is 

 about as bad for horses as it well can be. Al- 

 falfa hay is much like clover and with both an 

 equal quantity of prairie or timothy hay should 

 be used. Well cured corn fodder may be fed in 

 limited amounts, but, frankly, I have never 

 liked it. I prefer whole fodder to the shredded 

 article. If it is intended to use this sort of 

 roughage for horse-feed, it is best to cut the 

 corn when it is quite green, so that the product 

 may be more nutritious and more easily digest- 

 ed when it is dry. Shredded fodder makes ex- 

 cellent bedding. Oat hay is palatable and ex- 

 cellent results are obtained from its use. Many 

 who have used it report much advantage gained 

 from feeding sorghum fodder in cold weather, 

 say from the beginning of winter to the middle 

 of January. After that sorghum should not 

 be fed. It seems that the thawing weather 

 usually experienced about that time and later 

 works some change, probably of a fermentive 

 nature, that does not agree with horses. Millet 

 hay is an abomination and so is the so-called 

 Hungarian. Too much hay is usually fed to all 

 farm horses, even in idleness. It is never good 

 practice to keep hay in front of horses all the 

 time. They mess over it and cull out the choic- 

 est portions, and there is a lot of waste. Rather 

 feed them regularly two or three times a day 

 just enough so they will clean it up and come 

 with keen appetite to the next meal. 



