FEEDING. 71 



cents, making a total of thirty-two cents for feed. It will 

 be observed that it costs within a few cents as much to 

 feed a horse used for pleasure driving when oats are given, 

 as it does to feed a hard-working horse on corn-meal; but 

 it does not follow that a hard-worked horse could be kept 

 in condition with nine quarts of oats per day, nor that the 

 pleasure horse would require fifteen quarts of corn-meal a 

 day to insure a good working condition. How difficult as 

 well as unnecessary is it for us to fix a certain quantity 

 and quality of food to be given to all horses, when age, 

 condition, and work are not the same ! This discrepancy, 

 however, is, for the intelligent stableman, easily overcome 

 by a little observation of the feeding capacity and condi- 

 tion of each individual horse under his care. It is safe to 

 allow some horses of weak constitution to eat all the feed 

 they can consume, and that will not be too much to main- 

 tain them in flesh and in working order; their appetites 

 being the only measure required for daily use, at least dur- 

 ing the season of work. The work is the regulator of the 

 consumption of feed, as with such horses, the harder the 

 work the less will they eat, and vice versa^ when a limit 

 to the quantity should be made. 



The horses of railroad contractors and railroad compa- 

 nies, as a general average, get fifteen pounds of barley or 

 corn-meal each day. It is found, however, that many ani- 

 mals will not eat so much, but others will eat much more 

 than this allowance, and are much more able to perform 

 their work — another confirmation of the necessary propor- 

 7 



