76 THE STOCK OWNER S ADVISER. 



When a horse is very warm lie should not be allowed to have 

 cold dranghts of water; its rapid cooling of the stomach produces 

 indigestion and colic, frequently causing inflammation of the 

 mucous membrane and the sensitive structures of the feet. 



FOOD. 



Various tissues of the body, like the parts of a machine, are 

 subject to wear and tear. There is also a constant liberation of 

 energy in muscular work, and the evolution of heat going on in 

 the body. The wear and tear of the various tissues of an active 

 adult horse must be considerable; the brain cells, glandular epi- 

 thelium, the blood corpuscles, from time to time require renewal 

 and to be supplied with materials. The waste products of the 

 disintegration of the tissues and of the combustion going on in 

 the system are thrown out of the l)ody at the lungs, the skin, and 

 the kidneys. Experience proves that a mixed diet is best to main- 

 tain the body in health. Animals will not live on hydrocarbons 

 or carbo-h^'drates alone. Too much nitrogenous food causes an 

 excessive amount of urea and uric acid, throwing increased work 

 on the excretory organs. 



Milk may be taken as a typical illustration of a natural com- 

 bination of the various foods. Cows' milk contains: 



Nitrogenous matter, casene and albumen 4.1 



Butter 3.9 



Milk sugar 5.2 



Salts 0.8 



Water 86.0 



Cows' milk equals 14 per cent solids. The normal diet for an 

 adult horse is as follows: 



Albuminous matter 28 ounces of avoirdupois. 



Fatty matter 21 ounces of avoirdupois. 



Carbohydrates 98 ounces of avoirdupois. 



Salts 7 ounces of avoirdupois. 



Thus about 154 ounces of dry, solid food are contained in this 

 diet, of which about one-fifth is nitrogenous. If we reckon that 



