ON CUTTING AND PREPARING FEED. 71 



siderably reduced, the benefit of which is obvious. Even the 

 hardest working horses may thus be fed, either altogether with- 

 out hay, or with a less proportion of it, which will render it un- 

 necessary to keep such extensive and most valuable tracts of 

 land in a state of permanent grass, when the produce can be so 

 much increased by the use of the plough." 



****** 



"An eminent coach -master in Lancashire, Mr. Brotherton, 

 of Rainhill, has likewise favored me with some important inform- 

 ation regarding his improved mode of feeding horses. He had 

 been accustomed, from 1802 to 1811, to allow 8 horses, every 

 24 hours, three Winchester bushels of oats and one bushel of 

 beans, but no hay or chaff. During that period, he lost a great 

 number of horses every year, to the amount of from 14 to 17 on 

 an average, which he attributes to his having given them too 

 much corn, and more than the stomach could digest. This led 

 him to try a small proportion of hay ; and he afterwards adopt- 

 ed the following plan : 



To every 8 horses he allows one bushel of oats, one bushel of 

 beans, and three bushels of cut hay, and straw or clover mixed, 

 of the best sort that can be purchased, the expense of which he 

 thus estimates : — 



1 bushel beans, - - £ 12^. Od. 



1 bushel oats, - - 7 



3 bushels cut hay, straw and clover, 10 



Expense per day for 8 horses, £ 1 

 that is 175. 6d. for each horse per week, besides 5s. worth of 

 hay per week, making the expense of each horse per week, 

 22s. 6d. A considerable saving thus arises, compared to the 

 feeding wholly with oats, besides a great reduction on the quan- 

 tity of oats consumed. Mr. Brotherton never crushes his beans 

 or oats, thinking it unnecessary, when the horses get clover, hay 

 and straw, mixed with their corn. But he admits before they 

 got that mixture, that the beans and oats often passed whole ; 

 and it would certainly be advisable to adopt the crushing plan, 

 more especially with very young or very aged horses, as the 



