592 :NURSmCx. 



" One gallon of good gruel may be made from a ]Dound of meal, 

 which should be thrown into cold water, set on the fire and stirred 

 till boiling, and afterwards permitted to simmer over a gentle fire, 

 till the water is quite thick " {Jolui Steiuart). 



To make a bran mash, scald a stable bucket, throw out the water, 

 put in 3 lbs. of bran and 1 oz. of salt, add 2J pints of boiling water, 

 stir well up, cover over, and allow the mash to stand for fifteen or 

 twenty minutes, until it is well cooked. 



For a bran and linseed mash, we should boil slowly, for two or 

 three hours, 1 lb. of linseed, so as to have about a couple of 

 quarts of thick fluid, to which 2 lbs. of bran and 1 oz. of salt 

 should be added. The whole should be stirred up, covered over 

 and allowed to steam, as advised with a bran mash. The thicker 

 the mash, the readier will the horse eat it. 



Linseed tea is made by boiling 1 lb. of linseed in a couple of 

 gallons of water until the grains are quite soft. It may be more 

 economically done by using less water to cook the linseed, and after- 

 wards making up the quantity of water to about a gallon and a half. 



Hay tea is prepared by scalding a bucket, filling it with good 

 sweet hay, pouring in as much boiling water as the bucket will 

 hold, covering it over and allowing it to stand until cold, when 

 the fluid may be strained off and given to the horse. This forms 

 a refreshing drink. 



Linseed oil, in quantities of from J to J pint daily, may be mixed 

 through the food. It keeps the bowels in a lax condition, has a 

 good effect on the skin and air-passages, and is useful as an article 

 of diet. 



NOURISHING FOOD.— Under this heading I wish to include, 

 more particularly, those foods which are specially valuable in sup- 

 porting the strength, and which are consequently indicated during 

 the period of convalescence. The chief ones are the various forms 

 of "corn;" milk; eggs; bread and biscuits; malt liquor; wine, 

 etc. Milk is usually given skimmed, and may be rendered palatable 

 by first mixing in it a little sugar. The horse may get one or two 

 gallons of it daily. Eggs may be given raw as a drench, or may be 

 boiled hard and mashed up in the milk which the horse is to get. 

 The yolk of Orgg consists almost entirely of fat, and the white 

 is largely composed of albumin, which is a flesh-former. Horses 

 ■soon learn to become fond of bread and biscuits. A couple of 

 quarts of stout, ale, or porter, or half a bottle of wine, may be 

 given daily. Malt liquor and wine have really very little nutri- 

 tive value, their use being chiefly to stimulate the appetite ; 

 hence, when they fail to accomplish this object, we may conclude 

 that they are doing little or no good, and, possibly, some harm. 



