THE MASTER'S EXPENSES 103 



The next item in the list, which may be briefly dis- 

 missed, is 



Shoeing. — A horse will cost for his shoes alone £'^ a 

 year. As, however, there is almost always some black- 

 smith's work or other in either kennels or stables, that 

 individual's yearly bill may, with some margin, be put 

 down as ;^5o or ;^6o. 



The next consideration is 



Straw. — Some Masters there are who contract for 

 their straw, by which is meant that they get it for so 

 much per annum, 28s. to 345. the ton, giving back the 

 manure. The straw contractor grumbles at straw from 

 the kennels, for it not only has no manure in it, but is 

 useless to put under cattle, being, indeed, worn-out 

 stuff from the hounds' beds and so short that it cannot 

 be picked up or carted about. This, however, is the 

 cheapest and most economical way of disposing of the 

 straw, unless of course there is a farm, attached to the 

 kennels, on which the manure could be used. The 

 yearly consumption of straw should not exceed sixty 

 or seventy tons. 



Hay. — A Hunt stable resembles a racing stable in the 

 small consumption of hay. The less hay, in fact, given 

 to horses so continually worked, they better they will 

 do what is required of them. When given in quantity, 

 chaff is the best form, though there are, of course, 

 times when, as the saying goes, a horse has to " fill his 

 belly." Anyhow, no horse should eat much more 

 than a ton a year. That is, roughly, the allowance. 

 With the single exception of oatmeal, hay varies in 

 price more than any other commodity with the purchase 



