ANIMAL EPICURES 



653 



that are singled out by different kinds 

 of live stock when they are browsing at 

 liberty. We all know that horses are 

 partial to the leaves and bark of trees, 

 owing possibly to the tannin which they 

 contain. This substance, in moderation, 

 is considered by some to be of use as a 

 tonic. Some leaves, such as the oak, 

 contain rather a lot of tannin, and would 

 hardly be so valuable for fodder as those 

 which contain less. The idea of making 

 use of leaves for fodder may seem a 

 strange one, but the foreigners have for 

 some years been ahead of us in this 

 respect, and in France vine leaves are 

 largely used. 



Osier leaves, willow and hme are sup- 

 posed to be useful in England, as well as 

 those of the oak, birch, beech and poplar. 

 A year or two ago some interest was 

 aroused in the subject, for a herd of 

 cattle was enabled to hve on a leaf diet 

 through a burning drought where they 

 would otherwise have starved — for cattle 

 hke leaves as well as horses. They are 

 aromatic, hke the spices which are relished 

 in patent stock food, and here, doubtless, 

 lies their attraction, added to a pleasing 

 sense of a change of diet, which all animals 

 so much appreciate, especially if it is 

 stolen ! 



Horses have also dislikes pecuhar to 

 themselves, and this is seen in the case of 

 the sow thistle, a very common weed, 

 rich and free growing, which is a favourite 

 food with many animals — notably pigs 

 and rabbits — but is refused by horses. 

 Possibly it is too bitter, but this hardly 

 seems likely, seeing that this is the case 

 with so many edible plants. Gorse is a 

 plant which horses appreciate when 

 ground up — it seems to be used more in 

 Ireland than in England. It is doubtful, 

 however, if they would do more than eat 

 the young shoots if the plant were not 

 first prepared in a gorse-mill which 

 turns the prickly stems into excellent 

 provender, reputed to give a good sleek 

 coat, and to be of use also in a medicinal 

 way. There are many plants that seem 

 to act in this manner, with sheep 

 especially, and likely enough when not 

 feeling quite fit, animals pick (nit certain 

 plants which do them good, just as cats 

 and dogs eat grass. 



Sheep eat young gorse shoots also, but 



83 



their natural diet is rather different from 

 that of horses or cattle, and it is well 

 known that both sheep and goats, 

 especially the latter, have a wide range 

 of taste, and eat some plants which 

 cattle will not touch. 



For instance, they eat agrimony 

 {Agrimonia Eiipatoria) but most cattle 

 refuse it, and they will sometimes eat 

 the young shoots of heather, but no 

 cattle seem to care for the fine-leaved 

 heath, or Scotch heather [Erica cinerea), a 

 very similar plant to the common heather 

 or ling upon which the grouse thrives. 



Sheep eat most of the plants which 

 are attractiv^e to cattle, but they seem to 

 dislike some of these ; cow-wheat [Melam- 

 pxrnm prafense), for instance, is rejected 

 by them. This seems strange, as the plant 

 is considered to be a valuable food for 

 cows, and Linnaeus said that when cows 

 are fed in fields where this plant is abun- 

 dant the butter they yield is pecuharly rich 

 and brilliantly yellow. According to Dr. 

 Prior the curious name comes from the 

 fact that " its seed resembles wheat, but 

 is only fit for cows." There seems to have 

 been an old idea amongst country people 

 that the httle seeds of the plant could be 

 turned into wheat as they fell. 



Amongst those plants in pastures which 

 sheep eat but which cattle reject are 

 ragwort, knapweed, and ox-eye daisy, 

 an uninviting trio, certainly, and it is 

 not surprising that cattle should consider 

 such dry, harsh food as beneath their 

 notice. Wild wallflower seems unpalat- 

 able enough, but sheep will eat it, and it 

 is said to be quite wholesome, and, more- 

 over, very useful against certain diseases, 

 — an instance of a medicinal herb again — 

 and in days gone by it seems to have been 

 actually sown for sheep-feeding, along 

 with sheep's parsley, another herb with a 

 good deal of flavour. 



Sheep are fonder of such pungent 

 plants than are other five stock, but it 

 seems to be a mistaken notion that wild 

 thyme {Thymus serpyllum) forms a 

 valuable part of the herbage on upland 

 pastures to which sheep are partial. It 

 was supposed to improve the quality of 

 the mutton fed upon it, but probably, 

 like many other curious legends which 

 have grown round some of our wild plants, 

 there is no truth in the notion. 



