No. 4.] DISEASE IN HORSES. 265 



be abandoned. It is better to feed the same kind morning, 

 noon and night. In case it is not possible to feed the same 

 single grain or mixtures throughout the day, a feed of hay 

 alone, or clear oats, or a mixture of oats and bran, is less 

 objectionable than a feed of corn, provender or other rich 

 mixture. The practice of always giving some hay with the 

 orain is a ffood one. There are but few horses that will eat 

 too much hay if fed a sufficient amount of grain to supply the 

 greater part of the nutrient material required by the various 

 tissues of the body. Every horse must be given some coarse 

 material in the form of hay, straw or stalks. There must be 

 enough to give bulk to the food mass, or the stomach and in- 

 testines soon become diseased. The writer recently learned 

 of the death of a valuable horse by inflammation of the 

 bowels, brought on by feeding for several days clear oats 

 without sufficient hay or straw. Without doubt it is best to 

 give the greater part of the hay at night, but some should 

 be given mornings and noons, as well. Only hay should be 

 allowed horses that are warm and sweating freely. The grain 

 should be withheld until the circulation becomes equalized. 



The preparation of food for horses is a subject upon which 

 there exists a diversity of opinions. There are those who 

 advocate the use of whole grain ; others who prefer it crushed, 

 while others again say it should be finely ground before being 

 fed. Dry feed is preferred by some, wet by others. Some 

 claim that cut hay is better than whole, while others consider 

 a mixture of cut hay and grain (cut feed) preferable to hay 

 and grain fed separately. The settlement of these questions 

 must necessarily depend upon a variety of circumstances, 

 such as kind of food, peculiarities of the individual, time 

 allowed for eating, efiects of cooking, etc. To cut hay or 

 grind grain for a horse with sound teeth and strong digestive 

 organs, and who has plenty of time for eating, is to incur 

 an unnecessary expense that is of little or no benefit to the 

 animal. The thorough mastication of food is natural for 

 horses, and essential for perfect insalivation and digestion. 

 The average daily secretion of saliva in the horse, according 

 to Colin, is eighty-four pounds. The gland is stimulated to 

 secrete by the act of mastication, especially so if the food is 

 dry. If the hay is finely cut or the grain ground so that it 



