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two. All that is necessary is that the hay, being 

 otherwise of good quality, should have been long 

 enough in the stack for the fermentation to have 

 run its course. A good sample of hay should then 

 be of a brownish green hue, crisp and hard, not 

 flabby to the feel, with the grasses in flower, and 

 not in seed, and it should have a sweet and pleasant 

 perfume and taste. It should not be too sappy, and 

 this is the best way of distinguishing old from new 

 hay. The sap should have had time to dry out of 

 the stems, and remain only in the knots. 



The greater part of the nourishment of a horse 

 in hard condition is derived from oats, but a 

 healthy state of the stomach and intestines comes 

 from the consumption of a proper quantity of hay 

 in good condition. 



A horse's health depends on the hay he eats, his 

 strength, speed, and endurance on the oats, and 

 therefore we have now to consider the way to buy 

 oats, and the right kind to choose. The nutritive 

 value of oats depends on their weight. A heavy 

 oat makes more flour, and has less husk than a 

 light one. Therefore we should not buy oats 

 unless they range from 38 lbs. to 42 lbs. to the 

 bushel. I would rather pay more for the latter, 

 because they have a feeding value which is greater 

 than the difference in price. But we have to 

 consider not only the weight, but the quality, so 

 to speak, of the individual grains. The following 

 are the points to look for : — 



19 



