THE FEEDING OF HORSES 237 



thoroughly, so that it breaks nicely, but without any sem- 

 blance to a slop, then season with salt and a little ginger or 

 gentian. 



Shorts and middlings are too concentrated to be fed to horses 

 except in small quantities, and then they should h^ in combina- 

 tion with some of the other more bulky grains. Some horses show 

 an especial susceptibility to digestive disturbances when mid- 

 dlings are fed. 



Dried brewers* grains, now quite generally fed to dairy 

 cattle, have not been utilized by horse feeders to the extent that 

 trials of their feeding value would seem to justify. The in- 

 creasing demand for them among dairymen will no doubt ad- 

 vance the price, but they are comparatively much cheaper than 

 either oats or bran. In combination with either of these or with 

 com they have given satisfaction so far as they have been tried. 

 They are reckoned about equivalent to oats, pound for pound. 



Barley is the most common cereal feed for horses in some 

 parts of the country where it is extensively grown. It is well 

 adapted for that pui'pose provided it is crushed before feeding. 

 The presence of the awns may prove irritating to the horse's 

 mouth. 



Canada field peas deserve more general consideration than 

 they receive from horse feeders. When available they may be 

 profitably employed in combination with other concentrates in 

 making up the work horse ration. 



Linseed oil meal is more commonly fed as a conditioner than 

 for its nutritive properties, although the Iowa station has sho\vn 

 favorable results from oil meal combined with corn and oats for 

 the purpose of reducing the cost of the ration, the oil meal dis- 

 placing the oats otherwise required to balance the com. It has 

 a most valuable physiological effect on the bowels, coat, and the 

 nutritive functions in general. It helps restore condition in 

 horses which have either been overdone by feeding or are in a 

 state of malnutrition. It is usually fed to secure finish and 

 bloom, in fitting horses for show or sale, in quantities up to but 

 not exceeding a pound per day. 



Cottonseed meal has been tested in feeding trials at both 

 the Pennsylvania and Iowa stations, with such satisfactory re- 



