HORSES AND HOU^'DS. 33 



Tlie value of wheat straw may be put down at about 25.?. the 

 ton, and oats at 25. 6c/. the bushel : two tons of hay would keep 

 two horses twenty weeks, at a cost of 6/., or at the weekly rate 

 of 6.S. On the other side, allowing two bushels of corn to each 

 horse, the cost would be 10s. for the two, carrots 3s. per week, 

 or three cwt. By feeding on corn and carrots, the expense of 

 keeping two horses for twenty weeks would amount to 13/., in 

 which three tons of carrots would be consumed ; you have then 

 left from seventeen to twenty tons of carrots, to meet the extra 

 expense of corn feeding, which woidd keep two other horses for 

 the same period. It will be seen, therefore, by this plan of 

 growing roots instead of hay, that twice the number of horses 

 may be kept in far better condition than upon hay alone, the 

 value of the manure to be returned to the land will also be 

 proportionally greater. I have here given a fair allowance of 

 corn, more perhaps than falls to the lot of farm horses generally. 

 But I have heard it stated that horses have been kept upon 

 carrots and wheat straw only, and even hunted upon such food. 

 This may be a fact, for anything I can say to the contrary, but I 

 am quite satisfied that horses used for draught purposes will do 

 better upon carrots, wheat straw chaff, and a moderate quantity 

 of corn, even half the allowance I have made, than upon hay. 

 Various other kinds of grain are given to draught horses ; wheat, 

 beans, peas, barley, and grains, but oats in this country have 

 always been considered the best and soundest food for horses, which 

 they unquestionably are, affording more muscle than any other, 

 without any very heating property. Wheat is a very improper food 

 for horses, although containing a great amount of nutritious matter ; 

 it will swell in and distend the stomach, and I have known horses 

 and sheep both killed by eating it : barley, without being prepared 

 by boiling, is also very heating. For horses in hard work, split 

 beans used with moderation are an excellent addition either to 

 oats or soft manger food. Peas are objectionable, as tending to 

 flatulency, but pea meal is often given both to horses and sheep, 

 although my experience 'of its use will not justify me in recom- 

 mending it. The messes which are often prepared for farm and 

 draught horses it is quite unnecessary to mention ; every man 

 has some crotchet in his head upon this subject, and I have seen 

 various cooking apparatus in work for this purpose, some steam- 

 ing potatoes, others boiling linseed, and my impression is that 

 the result of all this domestic cookery will be disappointment, 

 causing more trouble than it is worth, and in the end a moro 

 expensive mode of feeding than upon good heavy oats, which 

 require crushing only to be made the most of. Bruised gorse 

 has been highly extolled by some, but for what exact properties I 



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