Feeds for the Horse. 279 



keep, while the keep of those fed corn stover, oat straw, and car- 

 rots in place of most of the hay, and ear corn and mixed feed in 

 place of most of the oats, cost about 18 cents per head daily — a saving 

 of 40 per ct. In this trial corn stover and oat straw proved both an 

 economical and a satisfactory substitute for timothy hay as a winter 

 feed for horses at moderate work. 



439. Clover hay. — Because clover hay is ordinarily carelessly 

 made and loaded with dust, it is almost universally disliked by 

 horsemen, yet it is successfully used by some liverymen. Roberts^ 

 writes: "The chief reasons for not feeding clover hay to driving 

 horses are two : It is always more or less dusty, and it is too pro- 

 teinaceous, and hence tends to loosen the bowels when the animal is 

 put at hard, fast work. However, if clover hay be mixed with bright 

 straw, and the mass dampened, a satisfactory roughage ration will be 

 secured for all but fast drivers." Terry,- the conservative, reliable 

 farmer-writer, kept a medium-weight farm work team for a number 

 of years in prime condition solely on well-made clover hay. In clover 

 hay and bran, which when combined furnish much crude protein, 

 phosphorus, and lime for muscle and bone building, the horseman 

 has a most valuable combination, especially for brood mares, foals, 

 and growing horses. Johnstone^ writes: "Bright clover hay that is 

 gotten into the barn without rain and is entirely free from dust and 

 mold is, used in moderation, the best possible ration for brood mares 

 and young horses." (254, 446) 



440. Alfalfa hay. — As with clover, there is a prejudice among 

 liverymen against alfalfa hay; yet some use it, and it furnishes the 

 sole roughage for horses upon tens of thousands of farms and ranches 

 in the West. At the Utah Station* alfalfa formed the sole roughage 

 for all the work and driving horses at the station for 12 years, ex- 

 cept during brief periods while they were on other experimental 

 fodders. During all that time not a horse was lost either directly or 

 indirectly from alfalfa feeding. It was found that horses fed tim- 

 othy hay voided an average of 16 lbs. each of urine daily, and those 

 on alfalfa 27 lbs., early-cut alfalfa hay causing a greater excretion 

 than late-cut. Emery of the Wyoming Station^ found that 13.8 lbs. 

 of alfalfa hay and 2.25 lbs. of oat straw would maintain the weight 

 of a 1000-lb. idle horse. (245) 



441. Alfalfa v. timothy hay.— At the Utah Station,^ during ex- 

 periments covering 310 days, Merrill fed 25 lbs, of alfalfa hay daily 



^ The Horse, p. 282. •' The Horse Book, p. 74. ° Twelfth Ept. 



' Our Farming, p. 137. ■• Bui. 77. • Bui. 77. 



