82 The Practical Stud Groom. 



tress at the loss of the mare's companionship will be equal in 

 both cases, but the physical effect of the sudden withdrawal 

 of the milk ration will obviously vary with the age of the 

 bereaved. As to reason number two, the author freely 

 admits that, in the case of an April born foal, by the time 

 it was six months old (that is in October) the grass would be 

 below par and the quality of the mare's milk deteriorated, 

 but with a fully-stocked corn and bran bin at the stud 

 groom's disposal, there is no reason why the milk supply, 

 even if somewhat diminished in quantity, should suffer in 

 regard to its nutritive qualities. " Half-a-loaf is better than 

 no bread." Even if the mare's supply of milk diminished by 

 one-half, it seems illogical, for that reason alone, to deprive 

 the foal of even the remaining half. So great a store does 

 the author set on the value of the dam's milk, that even if 

 the supply was reduced to a quarter of its previous quantity, 

 he would deem it well worth having, and would endeavour, 

 by a generous corn diet for the mare, to ensure that if the 

 quantity had diminished, the quality at least should be 

 maintained, and, if possible, increased. 



As to the general question of milk deterioration, it 

 would be most interesting and instructive to have samples 

 of the milk of six average and healthy brood mares subjected 

 to an analysis one week after foaling, and their milk again 

 tested, by the same analyst, three months later, or, better 

 still, an analysis taken month by month. Of course careful 

 allowances would have to be made for possible variations in 

 weather, condition of herbage, and temperaments of the 

 mares experimented on, but the general results should be to 

 furnish valuable information. 



In regard to reason No. 3, the author can only say that, 

 during seven years' Canadian experience, when the mares 

 weaned their foals at their own pleasure (generally during 



