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FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



In Queensland, pumpkins are recom- 

 mended as useful in the cure of heaves 

 and asthma in horses. In South Africa, 

 pumpkins are considered an excellent 

 feed for both horses and mules, in ra- 

 tions of 8 to 10 pounds daily. 



Rutabagas have been fed to horses in 

 rations as high as 31 pounds to replace 

 a part of the hay. The feeding value 

 of these roots, however, is not particularly 

 high, and they should be used merely 

 as appetizers. No injurious effects have 

 been noted from feeding them. 



Sugar beets have a slightly laxative 

 effect and in some cases cause horses to 

 scour, while in many other instances 

 they have been found quite beneficial in 

 their effect upon the digestive organs. 

 In cases where horses are made to scour 

 by eating sugar beets, once a week may 

 be often enough to feed them. If horses 

 are receiving alfalfa or other laxative 

 feed, it is not desirable to use sugar 

 beets at all. Sugar beet pulp is of 

 about the same feeding value for horses, 

 pound for pound, as sugar beets, and 

 helps to digest grain and hay more per- 

 fectly than would otherwise be the case. 

 In Utah, it has been found that horses 

 may safely eat as much as 40 pounds 

 per day of sugar beet pulp. This, how- 

 ever, is somewhat too high a ration for 

 work horses, since the pulp is too bulky 

 in proportion to the amount of nutriment 

 contained in it. Where the pulp can- 

 not be obtained in a fresh condition, it 

 may be dried and safely shipped long 

 distances. In such cases it may be 

 moistened before feeding and furnishes 

 a palatable addition to the horse's ra- 

 tion. Dried beets contain large quanti- 

 ties of sugar and are, therefore, recom- 

 mended for use in the horse ration by 

 certain German investigators, particu- 

 larly Muntz. 



Sweet potatoes have been successfully 

 substituted for a part of the grain in 

 horse's rations. In Florida, sweet pota- 

 toes were fed in rations of from 11 to 

 15 pounds. Sweet potatoes may be sub- 

 stituted for at least one-half of the 

 grain ration, this substitution being 

 made at the rate of 3 pounds of sweet 

 potatoes for 1 pound of corn. On this 

 basis, an acre of sweet potatoes yield- 

 ing 150 bushels is equal to an acre 

 of corn with a yield of 50 bushels, so far 

 as feeding horses is concerned. The 

 addition of sweet potatoes to the ra- 



tion caused some economy in the ex- 

 pense of feeding. 



Turnips, as already indicated, have 

 been fed extensively throughout the 

 country in small rations. In Canada, it 

 was found that horses relished turnips 

 in rations of 10 pounds per day. From 

 the above discussion of various roots 

 and fruits used in feeding horses, it is 

 apparent that these materials, while not 

 containing a great amount of nutriment, 

 are useful in increasing the palatability 

 of the ration, regulating the digestive or- 

 gans and improving the condition of the 

 coat. As a rule, the use of 5 to 8 

 pounds of roots per day helps in pre- 

 venting indigestion and colic. 



Miscellaneous feeds_It should be re- 

 membered that the present account of 

 horse feeding does not contain a dis- 

 cussion of all the feeds which have been 

 given to horses. This is obviously im- 

 possible, for the reason, that under va- 

 rious circumstances, nearly all edible 

 materials have been fed to horses in 

 smaller or larger quantities. Many of 

 these materials, however, have not been 

 fed under experimental conditions, and 

 nothing definite can, therefore, be said 

 regarding their feeding value. Under 

 such circumstances, it is thought best 

 to omit even the mention of them. 

 Among the miscellaneous materials 

 which have been fed to horses, an ex- 

 periment was made with Kola nut, in 

 Germany, in which it appeared that, 

 when added to the ration, this nut in- 

 creased the working power of horses, 

 and also their endurance. 



Milk — The value of whole or skim 

 milk in feeding colts, has long been 

 recognized. In Iowa, it was found that 

 the rate of gain was considerably greater 

 when skim mill?: was added to the 

 ration. It appears that for colts, 10 

 pounds of skim milk has about the 

 same feeding value as 1 pound of a 

 ground grain mixture, and since in the 

 experiment the milk was fed during the 

 severest months of winter, it is probable 

 that the milk had even a higher feeding 

 value than is indicated by the results 

 obtained. As is well known to farmers, 

 cow's milk may be used to supplement 

 the milk of the mare in forcing colts 

 after they reach a size where they can 

 consume more milk than the mare 

 yields. Colts may easily be taught to 

 drink milk, and may be forced on a 

 milk and grain ration in much the same 

 manner as calves are forced to yield 



