REMARKS ON FEEDING. 63 



REMARKS ON FEEDING. 



As the food of horses is well known to act considerably in 

 maintaining health in some cases, and in others to be a serious 

 cause of disease, it is, therefore, an important subject to the 

 farmer and stable-keeper, and demands their serious considera- 

 tion. Food may consist, of two kinds, namely, natural, or 

 such as animals are found to subsist on in a state of unre- 

 strained freedom ; and artificial, or such as man, by his own 

 experience and observation, has found most suitable to pro- 

 duce health, strength, and condition, when domesticated and 

 rendered subservient to his use. Herbage forms a great part 

 of the food given to horses, such as grasses and clover ; the 

 different kind of grasses are usually converted into hay. 

 Clover is given green, since it appears to be more useful in 

 that form, for when dry it is not so easily digested, and con- 

 tains less nutritive matter. The green herbage is invaluable 

 in the cure of some obstinate cases of disease, simply by its 

 medicinal effects. When hay is cut at the proper season, 

 namely, before it becomes too fibrous, the greatest care is 

 requisite in the drying process, for the most judicious persons 

 have frequently been unfortunate enough to have their hay 

 turn musty ; in such cases it is impaired in quality. To 

 obtain good hay, the grass should consist of various sorts; 

 or be, as it is commonly termed, full of herbage. The soil 

 should be well drained. The grass should be mowed early, 

 and while in flower, and should be afterwards almost con- 

 stantly attended to, if the weather is favorable ; the more it 

 is scattered about, the better will it be made, and the more 

 effectually will its fragrance and other good qualities be pre- 

 served. The quantity is sometimes looked to more than the 

 quality. Horses that are fed long on bad or musty hay, 

 .sooner or later suffer from indigestion, and a consequent loss 

 of condition. 



It will be seen by the annexed table, that hay contains but 

 a small amount of nutrition in proportion to the same weight 



