86 ON FEEDING AND THE FOOD. 



the muscles, and thus science is confirmed by every-day 

 experience, and the fact is generally admitted that to in- 

 crease the muscular powers of a horse he must have a suf- 

 ficient supply of uitrogenized food. As I have before 

 remarked, the nutrition of muscle requires fibriue; but, in 

 addition, the brain and nerves must be supplied with fatty 

 matter, phosphorus, and albumen. The bones demand 

 gelatin and earthy salts, and the maintenance of heat cannot 

 be effected without carbon in some shape or other. 



It may therefore be taken for granted that the much- 

 worked horse requires oats, and most of all, Slack Butter- 

 Corn, or a mixed feed of oats and the Butter-Corn, 

 together with such an amount of hay as will supply him 

 with the starch and gum which his system requires; while, 

 on the other hand, for the idle or light-used animal, which 

 does not use his muscular system to any extent, and there- 

 fore does not require much oats or hay, a much less quan- 

 tity of feed, with a pint of Black Butter-Corn three or four 

 times a week, would do more to improve the health and 

 condition o? the animal than all the swindling prepara- 

 tions, under the term of condition poivders, which, in nine 

 cases out of ten, are more hurtful than beneficial ; but there 

 is no doubt that there are many persons who can be made 

 to believe anything, and it is only by that class that these 

 preparations are thought much of. Not that alterative 

 medicines are not beneficial at the proper time, but the 

 compounds made generally under that term are such stuff, 

 that it is next to an impossibility for any benefit to be got 

 out of them. The Black Butter-Corn being the finest feed 

 now in the country, I think that I should be acting injnstly 

 to my readers if I did not acquaint them of it, and demon- 

 strate clearly why I so advocate it ; and this is best done 

 by an analysis of its alimentary elements. 



