390 AGRICULTURE 



dition and free from dust. If dusty hay must be used, it 

 should be sprinkled with water as it is fed. Horses seem 

 to find timothy hay more palatable than most other kinds, 

 but red clover, alfalfa, meadow fescue and other grasses 

 have been found satisfactory. It is thought that less grain 

 is necessary to keep up the weight of horses at hard work 

 when alfalfa is fed instead of some other hay. 



Grain ration for farm horses. Oats are the choice of 

 the cereals for horses wherever they are obtainable. They 

 are relished better than most grains, and seem especially 

 suited to the horse as a nutrient. Horses fed on oats also 

 seem to show better mettle than those fed on other grains. 



In the corn producing region corn is usually a more 

 economical feed for horses than oats, and has therefore 

 come into quite general use as a part of the ration. Corn 

 and alfalfa hay make a satisfactory ration, at least for a 

 limited time, and are cheaper than oats and timothy hay. 

 A very satisfactory and rather heavy daily ration for a 

 horse weighing from one thousand two hundred to one 

 thousand three hundred pounds, and employed at general 

 farm labor is : 



7Va pounds of whole corn. 



7Vz pounds of whole oats. 



1 pound of oil meal. 



3 pounds of wheat bran. 



7Vz pounds of timothy hay. 



71/2 pounds of clover hay. 



Other rations that have been proved satisfactory by ex- 

 periment are as follows: 



1. Corn, 6 pounds; gluten feed, 6 pounds; bran, 2 pounds; 



timothy hay, 10 pounds. 



2. Corn, 8 pounds; bran, 7 pounds; timothy hay, 10 pounds. 



3. Oats, 6 pounds; corn, 4 pounds; bran, 2 pounds; hay, 12 



pounds. 



