136 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



for some months at an enormous price, and in the 

 particular neighbourhood where I then resided 

 they were nearly sixty shillings a quarter. I had 

 a strongish stud, and, contrary to my general 

 practice, had run out my stock of oats, but had by 

 me an unusual stock of old beans, so, during the 

 three months oats kept at this killing price, I fed 

 my horses on them without oats ; but then the\ 

 had bran in such proportion as I considered broughl 

 the mixture to an equivalent to corn ; and T mus 

 say my horses never did better. It was, per- 

 haps in point of healthfulness, similar to drinking 

 brandy diluted with water in lieu of sherry with- 

 out it. 



In by-gone days beans were given to race- 

 horses when in training, and perhaps they were 

 proper enough under the circumstances in which 

 they were given : four-mile races, and those in 

 heats, were then in vogue, and horses that ran 

 such were not usually colts ; such stamina as en- 

 abled horses to endure long fatigue was then 

 wanted, and, doubtless, beans contributed to thisi 

 But if a trainer could, in a general way, keep twd 

 and three-year old colts in health, giving thenJ 

 beans in any quantity, he must have some mode 

 of counteracting the usual effects to be expected 

 from their use that I know nothing of. Still i 

 case may occasionally be found where beans maj 

 be useful even to a colt, and certainly often to old 



