made away with after delivery ; for ilicre are 

 always people in need of oats who care little 

 how they come by them. 



It will be found advantageous to divide, as 

 far as possible, the responsibility for the con- 

 dition of the horses. For example, the 

 senior non-commissioned officer in charge of 

 each troop might be made responsible for the 

 right weight of oats being supplied. 



When the oats are submitted for inspection 

 you should select one of the sacks yourself 

 from the wagon and first note if they are 

 clean, i.e., free from lumps of dirt, small 

 stones and sand, thistle heads, mustard and 

 other small seeds, and from other kinds of 

 grain, such as barley. It is not necessary to 

 reject oats which contain clippings from the 

 oats themselves ; this is not dirt, and is readily 

 got rid of by sifting — a corn sieve is a neces- 

 sity in every stable. Next ascertain if they 

 are in good condition, crush a few between 

 the teeth by way of testing whether they are 

 sweet or sour. New oats are soft and easy 

 to bite ; horses deteriorate in condition when 

 fed on them. Oats should not be taken if 

 they contain a large number of immature 

 grains. They should smell sweet. 



