I 7 8 VARIETIES OF FOOD. 



the animals. This giant-grass, if given in too large quantities, 

 is apt to have a laxative effect. Only the tender leaves and 

 young shoots should be employed, because the old leaves are 

 not only unwholesome on account of the large amount of silica 

 (flint) contained in their surface, but from the same cause, 

 they are also apt to inflict severe wounds on the tongue and 

 lips during mastication. " During the Chin-Lushai Expedi- 

 tion in 1889-90, the animals with the force got nothing else 

 for nearly eight months. I had three ponies of my own that 

 were worked moderately hard the whole time, and they re- 

 mained in good condition. The transport mules, which were 

 worked very hard indeed in a very trying climate, did not fall 

 away nearly as much as I expected " (Nunri). 



CONDIMENTS, ETC. 



Condiments are agents which stimulate the appetite, but do 

 not supply material that can be utilised in the nourishment of 

 the system. Fortunately for horses, the use of condiments 

 has almost entirely gone out of fashion. Lawes and Gilbert 

 state, with reference to the feeding of sheep, that " in both of 

 the comparative experiments, more food was consumed to 

 produce a given amount of increase with Thorley's Food, than 

 without." The use of tonics and alteratives should be re- 

 stricted to cases of illness, which should be treated, if possible, 

 only by a veterinary surgeon. 



