90 THEORY OF FEEDING. 



presence of an unduly high proportion of water in fodder, 

 injuriously hastens the passage of the food through the 

 stomach and intestines, checks the secretion of saliva, and 

 impedes digestion by diluting the digestive juices, thus 

 hindering their action on the nutritive matter. If the total 

 proportion of water be too small, the dung will probably be 

 passed out too slowly, and the formation and absorption of 

 deleterious matters by the intestines will be promoted. When 

 requirements of work demand that a horse shall eat a large 

 quantity of corn, the consumption of which will fully tax his 

 digestive powers, it is necessary that the corn shall be given in 

 the state in which it can be most easily digested, namely, dry. 

 Hence, if we see fit to increase the proportion of water in the 

 food, we can give " green meat " at a time when it will not 

 interfere with the digestion of the corn, say, an hour before or 

 two hours after feeding on corn. 



For practical purposes we may call a food watery when it 

 contains more than 25 per cent, of water (see tables on 

 pp. 62 and 63) ; and dry, when the percentage is equal 

 to or less than 25. A good ordinary working diet will 

 contain about 25 per cent, of water, as we may see from 

 the following calculation : 



Daily ration. Amount of contained water. 



12 lb. oats i lb. 



15 lb. hay 2\ lb. 



5 lb. carrots 4$ lb. 



Total, 32 lb. Total, 8 lb. = 25 per cent. 



A high diet, the dryness of which should not, I think, be 

 often exceeded, would be : 



Daily ration. Amount of contained water. 



20 lb. oats ' 2.} lb. 



10 lb. hay i lb. 



3 lb. carrots 2^ lb. 



Total, 33 lb. Total, 6| lb. = 20 per cent. 



