NUTRITION 



3t>7 



It represents the minimum amount of food required by horses 

 doing no work. Grandeau and Leclerc kept three horses for a period 

 of from four to five months on a diet consisting of 8 kilogrammes 

 (17 -6 pounds) of meadow hay. The animals led a life of idleness, 

 with the exception of receiving half an hour's walking exercise 

 daily. The 17-6 pounds of hay furnished as a mean 7-02 pounds 

 of dry digestible organic matter for every 1,000 pounds of body 

 weight. The 7-02 pounds of organic matter contained 0-538 

 pound of digestible proteid. The subsistence diet for three 

 horses for twenty-four hours was, therefore, as follows for every 

 1,000 pounds of body weight : 



Protein - - 0*244 kilogramme 

 Non-nitrogenous 2* 946 kilogrammes 



0*538 pound 

 6*482 pounds 



3- 190 kilogrammes 7*020 pounds 



This amount of hay (7-020 pounds) contains the following ele- 

 ments : 



Carbon 

 Hydrogen 



Oxygen 

 Nitrogen 



- 1-619 kilogrammes 



- 0*175 kilogramme 



- 1 -35 7 kilogrammes 



- 0039 kilogramme 



3-563 pounds 

 0-385 pound (6- 16 



ounces) 

 2-986 pounds 

 0086 pound (1*376 



ounces) 



Assuming the correctness of Grandeau's observations, we may 

 accept the above amounts of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen as 

 approximately representing a horse's requirements for twenty- 

 four hours during idleness, the animal neither gaining nor losing 

 weight. The ratio of nitrogen to carbon in the above diet is 

 1 : 41 ; the ratio of the proteins to the non-nitrogenous fats and 

 carbohydrates is 1 : 12. 



From a table furnished by Grandeau and Leclerc, it would 

 appear that no matter what the nature of the diet may be, horses 

 require between 7 pounds and 8 pounds of dry digestible organic 

 matter daily for every 1,000 pounds of body weight in order to 

 maintain nutrition during idleness. The following is the table 

 referred to : 



