Live Stock. 105 



clover mixed, of the best sort that could be purchased, be- 

 sides hay uncut. This produced a considerable saving, be- 

 sides a great reduction in the quantity of oats consumed. 



Mr Brotherton thinks it unnecessary to crush his beans 

 or oats, when the horses get cut clover, hay, or straw, mixed 

 with their corn, though before they got that mixture, the 

 beans and oats often passed whole ; but it might be still ad- 

 visable to adopt the crushing plan, more especially with very 

 young or very aged horses, where the necessary machinery 

 can be had. He never thrashes his oats, if well harvested, 

 but cuts them in the machine altogether. He cuts the hay 

 and &traw very short, and gives a preference to clover, if it 

 has been cut before it has been seeded, and is well harvest- 

 ed. 



His horses are now as healthy and able to do their work, 

 as ever he knew them ; and he has lost only one horse, since 

 he adopted the new plan. 



If he had fed his horses, according to the former plan, at 

 the price which corn fetched in 1812, he calculates that it 

 would have cost him at least L. 1 : 16 : 2 for each horse, 

 per week ; but according to the new plan, the expense is 

 only about L. 1 : 2 : 6, making a difference of no less a sum 

 than 13s. 8d. per week, or L. 35 : 10:8 per annum, on each 

 horse. 



3. Besides the articles above mentioned, there are others 

 which might be applied as food for horses, with great ad- 

 vantage, without interfering with the food of the human 

 species. Among these, the shoots of green furze have been 

 recommended, as an excellent food for horses. It has been 

 ascertained, that a Scotch acre of furze, will be sufficient for 

 six horses, for four months; and as they require two years 

 to be reproduced, two acres will be sufficient to keep them 

 in constant supply for that time. The expense of cutting is 

 about Is. 8d. weekly, and of bruising a mere trifle. It is 

 found, that by one feed of corn and furze, horses are kept 

 in as good condition for labour, as with two feeds of corn 

 and straw, so that one feed of corn, and the whole straw, are 

 saved altogether. This may be stated as worth 7d. per day 

 on each horse, or L. 17, 17s. on six horses for 17 weeks. 

 The expense of cutting, bruising, &c. may be stated at 5s, 

 weekly. There will remain, therefore, L. 13, 12s., as the 

 produce of two acres of whins, or L. 6, 16s. per acre yearly, 



4.. It is well known, that in various parts of the kingdom, 

 farm horses are sometimes fed on boiled potatoes, and at 

 other times, on Swedish turnips ; but an intelligent farmer, 



