126 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



them are kiln-dried, to give the look and feel of 

 old oats ; but when not I think them quite as 

 good as our own. People might infer that they 

 are not so from the fact that a much larger allow- 

 ance of them is made to horses in Ireland than 

 we give ; their feed being always half a peck, 

 whereas ours, in a general way, is only a quartern. 

 This extra allowance is not, however, made from 

 any acknowledged inferiority in the oats, but 

 from the want of nutrition in the Irish hay, which, 

 from the way it is treated in the making, is gene- 

 rally dry, tasteless, inodorous, and bad altogether. 

 Figuratively speaking, they know nothing of good 

 hay, or hay making. 



In point of age, I should say that, for horses in 

 fast work, oats should not be less than two years 

 old ; after that I consider their farinaceous part 

 begins to shrink, and that, consequently, a greater 

 proportion of husk falls to the horse's share. The 

 objection to new oats is, first, that they are fla- 

 tulent; and, secondly, as is the case with new 

 oatmeal with hounds, they do not, as we say in 

 kennel language, " stay by them." 



A proper stock of oats should always be kept 

 on hand — of course proportionate with the number i 

 of horses kept. This should be done that we may ] 

 not be taken short, and, consequently, obliged to i 

 buy at any price, or to put up with oats of a bad 

 sort : but then care must be taken that corn in ! 



