172 Ho7^ses on Board Ship. 



case it becomes heated, '' cakes," and assumes 

 a musty smell. If fresh bran is obtained 

 shortly before sailing, and is properly stored, 

 it will undoubtedly keep sweet for six weeks, 

 if not longer ; but it is generally difficult to 

 be sure of its freshness at the time of purchase. 

 In fact, considerable quantities of bran are 

 imported to England from India. The only 

 practical way I know of testing the freshness 

 of bran, is finding that it smells sweet, is not 

 caked, and is not abnormally warm, which we 

 can do, by inserting our bared arm deeply into 

 a bag or heap of it. 



For ship use, I am inclined to prefer 

 moderately light oats to heavy ones, as I 

 find that they are not so liable to upset the 

 digestion of idle horses. Respecting the 

 quality of oats in other respects, I need 



