392 AGRICULTURE 



ues beyond three or four days, the amount of grain may 

 gradually be increased, but should not reach the full work 

 ration. 



Most of the hay should be fed at night and in the morn- 

 ing, as there is not enough time at noon to secure the neces- 

 sary nourishment from roughage. The noon feed of grain 

 may be slightly heavier than that for night or morning. 

 About twice as long is required for horses to eat ground 

 grain fed dry as when it is dampened. 



Watering horses. Much difference of opinion exists 

 concerning the best time for watering horses, some prefer- 

 ring to water before feeding, and others after. Careful ex- 

 periments have shown that the time of watering is not highly 

 important. If horses come from the field thirsty, it is rea- 

 sonable to suppose that they will relish their meal better if 

 they have had a drink. If the feed consists largely of dry 

 roughage it also seems best to water before feeding. What- 

 ever system is adopted should be followed regularly, as 

 changing about often injures the appetite or produces some 

 other derangement. Horses should never be given a large 

 amount of water when highly heated from working or 

 driving. 



TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION 



1. What breeds of horses are favored in your region? 

 Let each student find out just what breeds are represented 

 in the horses on his home farm, with the percentage, of 

 pure-bred blood in each animal. Sum up the results for the 

 entire district. 



2. If it costs fifteen dollars more to sire from pure-bred 

 than grade horses, what would be the net gain by using 

 pure-bred rather than grade sires in raising for market two 

 teams and selling them at four years of age on the basis 

 shown in the table on page 382. 



3. After studying the score-card for judging draft 



