COOKING THE FOOD. 555 



2d. The hard, dry covering of grain, when it has been steamed 

 and ground, becomes as nutritious as any part of the grain, and 

 adds just so much to its food properties. 



3d. The entire grain is digested, and no portion of it wasted ; 

 nor is there any loss in efforts of the stomach to do the work of 

 the cook and the grist-mill. 



4th. The loss in feeding raw grain is changed to gam. in the 

 cooked feed, a smaller quantity of the cooked grain giving a larger 

 proportion of animal strength. 



5th. The primary cause of much illness and derangement of 

 digestion in animals is removed by the use of properly cooked 

 feed. 



It seems to the writer that cooked food is especially 

 important to horses having weak digestion, and for old, 

 enfeebled horses. 



When a horse is off his feed, by over-eating or want of 

 proper exercise, the better way is to reduce his usual 

 quantity of grain one-half for three or four days or a week, 

 when he will eat again as well as ever. 



I here give Mr. Bonner's system of feeding : 



" In the morning at five o'clock in summer, and six o'clock in 

 winter, each horse is given two quarts of oats. At nine o'clock 

 two quarts more are given, and the same quantity is given again 

 at one o'clock. Before feeding, each horse is given all the water 

 he will take, unless he is to be driven, in which case the allowance 

 is cut short a little. At five o'clock in the afternoon the allowance 

 of hay is given, usually about ten pounds to each horse ; and none 

 is given at any other time during the twenty-four hours. At 

 nine in the evening each horse is given a warm supper, prepared 

 as follows : For the ten horses, twenty quarts of oats are put into a 

 large kettle and boiled, after which is added about the same 

 quantity of wheat bran by measurement, with the proportion of a 

 teaspoonf ul of salt to each horse. The whole is thoroughly mixed, 

 and, when sufficiently cool, each is given his share. If not driven, 

 each horse is walked from half an hour to an hour daily, and the 

 greatest care is taken not to expose them needlessly for a moment 

 without blankets." 



The following is the routine pursued with Dexter : 



At six every morning, Dexter has all the water he 



wants, and two quarts of oats. After eating, he is 



