6i 



FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT. 



Ponies are fed in the pits on chopped hay to 

 prevent waste. Before chopping- was introduced, 

 great quantities of hay were spoilt, but nothing of 

 that kind occurs now. In addition to chopped hay, 

 practically ad lib., a good feed consists of sixty per 

 cent, of crushed oats, twenty per cent, of maize, and 

 twenty per cent, of beans or peas, whichever of the 

 two latter are the better current value. The quan- 

 tities, of course, depend on the size of the ponies 

 and the nature of their work. They are given water 

 at least three times a day, care being taken to supply 

 it fresh and pure. A still better system is to have 

 a water-tank in front of each pony, with a suitable 

 plug for flushing-. During winter they are allowed a 

 few carrots or swedes, and for eight or ten weeks in 

 summer they are given cut grass instead of hay, 

 which has an excellent effect on the health of the 

 ponies. In some pits it is customary to mix the 

 corn along with the hay, but, from practical observa- 

 tion, this method cannot be recommended. Much 

 better results will be obtained by feeding the chopped 

 hay and corn separately. Different ponies have differ- 

 ent appetites, and intelligent attendants soon discover 

 the peculiarities of each, and treat them accordingly, 

 and the collective result is decidedly in favour of a 

 separate system of feeding. In the opinion of certain 

 colliery experts, the above-named system of feeding 

 is recommended, though it is not denied that each 



