BARLEY. 155 



horse's dung to become loose and to acquire a bad smell. 

 Owing to this effect, which increases in proportion to the 

 amount of barley consumed, 10 Ib. may be taken as a healthy 

 maximum daily allowance of this grain. Parching appears to 

 increase the digestibility of barley, but I am unable to explain 

 its action in this respect. 



Steamed or boiled barley, when given to a moderate extent, 

 is an excellent adjunct to the food of some delicate horses, 

 even when they are put to hard work. It also forms a useful 

 change for animals that are out of condition. 



" Barley often commands a low price because the grains 

 have been tarnished during harvest by rainfall or foggy 

 weather. Such grain has lost little or none of its nutrients, 

 though for the brewer its value may have been much dimi- 

 nished. The wise stockman will use such barley for food 

 rather than force it on the market at the low price which 

 it commands. Light-coloured, bright barley makes beer of 

 better colour than dark, weather-stained grains " (Henry). 



Although barley, owing to its laxative effect when given in 

 large quantities, is by itself unsuitable to horses doing hard 

 work ; it can often be economically used with other food for 

 these animals. Mr. John Malcolm, F.R.C.V.S. (Journal of 

 Comparative Pathology and Therapeutics], gives the following 

 very interesting account of an exhaustive and valuable experi- 

 ment on the feeding value of barley for cart horses. His 

 conclusions are indisputable. 



" A section of the Birmingham Corporation stud, consisting 

 of 1 20 cart horses, was selected for the experiment. These 

 horses were all of the same class and all doing the same kind 

 of work, and as nearly as possible the same amount of 

 work. They were divided into two lots of sixty each, and 

 all were weighed. One lot was fed on oats, maize, beans, and 

 hay, and the other lot on barley, maize, beans, and hay, the 

 daily allowance for each horse being as follows : 



