24 • HORSES: 



teams, where the work is performed out of season of 

 at unusual hours : 



THE TWO-MEAL SYSTEM FOR HORSES. 



" BiDDEFORD, Me., Dec. 9, 1882. 



" Editors of Turf, Field, and Farm : — A writer in 

 the Mirror and Far^ner speaks of having fed his cattle 

 on the two-meal system for the past seven years, and 

 finds no occasion for feeding oftener ; in fact, he says 

 they thrive better than on the ' cramming system,' or 

 more frequent feeding. 



** Although I have never doubted that this system 

 would work as favorable with horned cattle, my own 

 experience has been confined mostly to human beings 

 and horses. According to my judgment, if applied 

 to work or road horses it will increase their work- 

 ing capacity very largely. That is, a given horse 

 will do more work, day after day, either in the cart, 

 before the plow, or on the road, and keep in prime 

 condition ; besides it would surely, because of his im- 

 proved health, tend to prolong his life, and extend his 

 years of usefulness. But aside from mere theorizing 

 or dogmatically asserting my opinion, which, however, 

 I find is corroborated by every one who has given 

 this system a fair trial, I will give here an illustra- 

 tion as to its operation on road horses. I bought a 

 little, * chunky ' mare, six years old, fat and lazy, fit 

 for nothing but a timid woman's use — just right, one 

 would say, for the women and children to jog round 

 town with. She would travel about four and a half 

 to five miles an hour with considerable urging, and if 



