252 HOESE PORTBAITUBE. 



sweat thoroughly, and weighing from thirty-five to forty 

 pounds to the measured bushel, is the first consideration. 

 We will use a strongly made forty-gallon cask, and put 

 in it two bushels of oats, two of the boys, with shovels or 

 spades, striking alternate blows, or rather chopping, till 

 all the husks are loosened, that can be by this operation. 

 When sufficiently chopped, carry to the green, and, spread- 

 ing a linsey or sheet, let the oats fall slowly from pans 

 elevated as high as the boys can hold them. The breeze 

 that is now exposing the silver lining of the leaves of that 

 beautiful poplar, is just strong enough to blow away all 

 of the dust and light grains, so the portion retained is 

 both heavy and clean. We will now take six quarts of 

 hominy the proportion will -be greater hereafter and 

 after fanning all of the mealy particles out of it thoroughly, 

 incorporate it with the oats on the linsey. To effect this, 

 the boys will take the sheet by the corners, and by tossing 

 it backward and forward, the union is soon accomplished. 

 The work is continued till the receptacles intended for the 

 reception of this mixed feed are filled. Another is filled 

 with cleaned oats alone, and still another with prepared 

 hominy. A barrel or two filled with bright ears of corn, and 

 a box of bran complete this part of the commissary. We 

 can then feed a horse whatever we desire, without waiting 

 for preparation, and there is no rattling of the sieve to 

 annoy those we do not wish disturbed. The best bran for 

 our purpose is that obtained from winter wheat. The 

 flinty husk enveloping the kernel on this is thinner and 

 more easily separated from the flour. There is less nutri- 

 ment, of course, than in the bran of spring wheat, but 

 nutriment is not what we want. We will use oat-meal or 

 sago for gruels, the mashes intended to slightly irritate 

 the inner coating of the stomach and intestines, causing 

 them to secrete more of the watery fluid, thus softening 

 the evacuations. 



