552 FEEDING AND WATEBING, 



will eat if at all voracious. The majority of owners pack 

 a large rack full, either allowing liberty to eat too much, 

 or making it unpalatable and unhealthful by being breathed 

 upon. From eight to ten pounds is about the average 

 quantity for an ordinary roadster to be allowed in twenty- 

 four hours, more or less, according to size, the kind of 

 work, and the quantity of grain given. Dusty or mouldy 

 hay should never be fed, as it is liable to produce various 

 forms of disease. 



The food should be clean, and in quality perfect. Hay 

 is most perfect when it is about a year old. Horses would 

 perhaps prefer it earlier, but it is neither so wholesome nor 

 so nutritious, and may cause purging. When it is a year 

 old, it should retain much of its green color and agreeable 

 smell.* The blades of corn pulled and cured in the sum- 

 mer are unquestionably much better than hay. I should 

 certainly prefer this kind of fodder to any kind of hay, for 

 fine horses. It is strange that it is not prized more highly 

 in the North. 



Oats make more muscle than corn. Corn makes fat 

 and warmth. Hence, the colder the weather, the more 

 corn may be given, and the harder the work, the more oats. 

 Oats should be a year old, heavy, dry, and sweet. New 

 oats will weigh from ten to fifteen per cent more than old 

 ones ; but the difference is principally water. New oats 

 are said to be more difficult to digest, and when eaten in 

 considerable quantity are apt to cause flatulency, or colic, 

 and derangement of the stomach and bowels. The same 

 may be said of corn. If not sound and dry, it may be re- 

 garded even much more dangerous than oats, and should 

 not be fed. Doing so will be at the hazard of the conse- 

 quences above mentioned. 



*In packing or stacking hay, salt should be slightly sprinkled through it so 

 as to destroy insects. It also aids in preserving it bright, and makes it more pala- 

 table and healthy for the horse. 



