ECONOMY IN THE SELECTION OF FOOD. 181 



generally fed, is that the grain which is cheapest, weight 

 for weight, is the one that is selected for use. It is usually 

 thought advisable to increase the feeding value of maize by 

 an addition of about a sixth part of peas or beans. Mr. 

 Shaw, however, states that "in feeding cheaply, even for 

 hard work, beans and peas can be left out of the bill of fare. 

 Although I am fully aware that this is contrary to general 

 usage, and opposed perhaps to the teaching of chemistry, I 

 consider that the high price of these grains prohibits their em- 

 ployment, when trying to feed economically. I found from an 

 experience of several years in feeding a large stud of horses 

 which had to be maintained in condition to perform hard and 

 fast work, that these animals accomplished their task and kept 

 their condition in a satisfactory manner without a single pea 

 or bean being given them." Mr. Shaw considers that bran, 

 even in small quantities, is not an economical food. 



With respect to the nature of the chop, Mr. Shaw tells me 

 that " in the majority of commercial studs the principal con- 

 stituent of the chop is meadow hay, which by itself would 

 render the chop too soft for obtaining a uniform distribu- 

 tion of the grain throughout the entire mass of the food. 

 A small quantity, say a third, of oat straw placed in the 

 cutter, will enable the hay to be cut shorter, and the resulting 

 chop will be more useful for mixing, and will entail no 

 deteriorating effect on the condition of the horses. Clover, 

 lucerne, and sainfoin are employed for the same purpose 

 to mix with meadow hay. Best clover hay is too expensive 

 for economical feeding, and inferior clover hay, which may 

 be purchased cheaply, is apt to cause serious digestive dis- 

 turbance from its unduly hard and woody character. 



" Dutch hay, Russian hay, American and Canadian timothy, 

 South American lucerne, and Algerian hay are used in this 

 country, when home-grown meadow hay becomes expensive. 

 If foreign hay, either wholly or in part, is employed, care 



