20 THE HORSE. 



food of horses is not to be recomni ended, as steamed food is not 

 particularly f>ood for tliem, while the practice involves consider- 

 able expense and trouble, which are quite superfluous. 



Quantities to be Fed — The daily allowance of corn 

 to be fed to farm-horses depends to some extent upon the 

 amount of work they are< required to do. During the spring 

 and autumn cultivations, and in harvest time, the horses re- 

 quire a larger ration of corn, if they are to be kept in good 

 condition, than they do when horse labour is slack. If the 

 land farmed is of a heavy and stiff character, the powers of 

 the horses in working it will be more severely taxed than is 

 the case on light and shallow soil. In the former case, more 

 corn must be fed than is necessar}^ in the latter. In fixing 

 the daily quantity of corn for the liorses, some judgment 

 should be exercised, and the amount of work they have to do 

 and tlie nature of tlie soil farmed should be taken into con- 

 sideration. It would be wrong to adhere to one fixed allow- 

 ance of corn all the 3'ear round, but the ration should be in- 

 creased or decreased according to circumstances. In all cases, 

 however, sufficient corn nmst be given to keep the horses in 

 good bodily condition, so that they are able to perform their 

 work with ease and at a good pace. 



Corn. — Tlie average daily allowance of corn for a farm- 

 horse in full work (i.e., during the busy seasons of the year) 

 is about sixteen pounds ; this will mean roughly two and 

 three-quarter bushels of oats jDer week. When maize is fed, 

 one pound of this foodstuff may be taken to be equal to one 

 pound of oats. During the slack seasons of the year the ration 

 of corn may be reduced to a stone per diem, or even to twelve 

 pounds, according to the size of the horse and the amount 

 of work the animal is called upon to do. 



" Chop/' — No exact figure can be fixed for the daily allow- 

 ance of " chop " to be given to horses. This must, to a great 

 extent, depend upon how nmch long hay is provided. The 

 more of the latter is fed, the less " chop " will be required, 



