ECONOMY OF FARMING. 25 



in the year. Wlion on hay he will require 22 Ihs. daily, ami 5 lbs. more if he does 

 not gel roots. One Eaglisii acre of clover and rye-grass and tares may be neces- 

 sary lor 4 months' soiling, and a quarter of an -icre of potatoes, yams, or Swedish 

 turnips during the eigiit months he is fed with hay and straw." "The expense of 

 feeding a horse throughout the year may therefore be estimated in regard to quantity 

 as follows: 



"Oats, 13 quarters =120 bushels : Soiling 1 acre of clover and rye-grass and tares: 

 Hay, part of October and November March, April and May, 1^ ton: Straw, for 4 

 other months half the price of hay: Potatoes, yams, or Swedish turnips, 5 acre." 



On the subject of feeding horses, we find in the British Husbandry, a work of 

 acknowledged merit the tbllowing statements, Vol. I. p. 12G : '-The late Mr. Cur- 

 w.^N, who tried more experiments than most men in feeding cattle, kept nearly 100 

 of his colliery and farm horses during the winter upon equal quantities of cut straw 

 and potatoes stoamed together, in lieu of hay ; and found that some which were 

 worked in the same manner, but fed with hay instead of potatoes were not in equal 

 condition with the others."— (See Hints on tlie Economy of Feeding Stock, by J. C. 

 Curwen, M. P.) His mo le of feeding as detailed by the Carron Company, who 

 have adopted his plan is thus : " They have three tubs steaming at a time ; two of 

 potatoes and one of chop])ed straw, chaff or dusting seeds ; they empty one tub of 

 potatoes into a large mish tub by way of bottom layer; then the tub of chopped 

 straw, and last the remaining tab of potatoes ; the wliole is wrought u]i and mixed 

 with a large woo len i^estle ; and to this they atld a small quantity of salt. A bucket 

 is brought for each horse with his feed of corn (bruised oats) in the bottom, and his 

 proportion of the mash is filled in above ; when it is emptied into the manger, the 

 corn is of course u]">permost, and the horse-feeder puts his hand through to mix it. 

 They feed warm. The quantity of food and calculation of expense are as follows: 

 (which may be reduced to federal money at the rate of 22 cts. for Is.) 



FARM HORSES. 



1^ stone of potatoes at 3d. Os. 4^d. 



= 21 lbs. 

 7 lbs of cut straw Id. 

 and cutting Id. 



2 



Steaming 0^ 



7 lbs. long straw 1 



8 lbs. of oats 8 



1 4 nearly 30cts. 



COLLIERY HORSES. 



8 lbs of hay and 8 lbs. of straw cut together . . Os. S^d, 



Cutting 1 



7 lbs. of steamed potatoes 1.}- 



6 lbs. of carrots • 2.ir- 



12 lbs. of oats 10" 



After several years experience of the comparative merits of steamed potatoes and 

 Btraw or hay, Mr. Curwen gave a deciiled preference to the former." It is also 

 mentioned in the same work, on high authority, that " working horses have been 

 kept throughout the winter entirely on steamed potatoes, to every 300 lbs. of which 

 there was advled half a pint of salt and occasionally a small portion of sulphur, and 

 that "fed in this mannertheyperformed with the grreatest ease all the common labor, 

 of the farm without either hay or oats." The ditrerence of expen.se of a team of 5 

 horses during half a year, calculating the potatoes as worth 40s. (=to about $9) 

 per ton, and hay and oats respectively at £3 (= about $13) per load, and 24s. (=: 

 to about $6 per quarter of 8 bushels — would stand thus : 



HAY AND OATS. 



5 horses, 1S2 days at 24 lbs. hay 21 840 lbs., or lOf loads at £3. £32 10s. Od. 

 Ditto 26 weeks at 2 bushels each of oats, 32^ quarters at 24s. 29 



£71 10 = §315 



