THE HORSE 107 



and corn, but it is unsuitable for light horses 

 which are expected to do fast work. 



Beans contain a greater proportion of nutritive 

 material than oats, and are beneficial if given in 

 small quantities to old animals or those undergo- 

 ing extremely hard work. They should be given 

 split, and a " double handful " per diem, in addi- 

 tion to the usual quantity of oats, is a fair allow- 

 ance for the average horse. 



Hay 



Hay being the staple food of the horse, every 

 o^^^ler should make himself conversant with the 

 various points upon which the quality and value 

 depend. 



The quality of hay is dependent, first, upon the 

 grasses of which it is composed. Between twenty 

 and thirty different grasses may be found in hay, 

 only a comparatively small proportion of which go 

 to make hay of the best quality. Inferior hay 

 consists mainly of inferior grasses : good hay of 

 about ten varieties of the best grasses. 



Xow the variety and proportion of the different 

 grasses which grow on land is largely, if not en- 

 tii'ely, influenced by the soil. The best grasses 

 only grow on good soil, so that coarse, rank stuff 



