178 LIGHT HORSES I BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



" Of course, the oats should be sound , when musty they 

 are likely to do great damage. And the same may be said of 

 the hay. This varies considerably in feeding value, according 

 to not only the grasses which enter into its composition, but 

 also according to the situation, the soil, the district, and even 

 to the countries in which it is grown ; the manner in which it 

 is preserved or made also influences its value as food. 



" Other grains besides oats are sometimes substituted for 

 these, wholly or in part. Maize is one of them, and is some- 

 what largely in use for omnibus and tramway horses. When 

 the seeds are broken it is very digestible and economical, and 

 may replace one-third, two-thirds, or even the entire ration 

 on occasion ; but good oats are preferable, as they sustain 

 animals which are undergoing severe labour much better, and 

 do not soften the liver like maize. 



" Beans are a valuable adjunct to the food of hard-working 

 horses when given in the proportion of one-tenth or one-twelfth 

 to the other grain, and the same may be said of peas. 



" With regard to the quantity of food required by horses, 

 this, as has been stated, should depend, over and above a 

 certain amount required to maintain health, upon the work 

 exacted, the size of the animal, and also, to some extent, to 

 the degree of appetite. Something will likewise depend upon 

 the mixture of grains, in which the object is generally to 

 furnish what is deficient in one kind of grain by adding 

 another which contains it in larger proportion ; a course 

 which is advantageous from a dietetic, and often also from 

 an economical point of view. 



" I have elsewhere insisted that to maintain a just balance 

 between food and work, which the condition of the horse will 

 pretty accurately demonstrate, the owner must be ready to 

 increase, and as promptly diminish, the grain allowance as 

 demands upon it are created or disappear. If the quality of 

 the food is not sufficient to furnish material for the repair of 



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waste tissue, the deficiency must be met by the consumption 

 of an increased quantity. But, as has been pointed out, an 



