FOOD FOR HOUNDS. 57 



fresh killed horse were considered a grand restorative 

 to tired hounds after a long days hunting. In an old 

 book entitled, " The Gentleman's Recreation," the 

 author, in the old fashioned and quaint language of the 

 seventeenth century, in recommending flesh as good 

 food for hounds, says, that horse-flesh is the best and 

 hottest ; but strictly cautions any one from giving it 

 with the skin on, — " Lest your dogs discerning the 

 hair, may fall on them when alive in the field." In the 

 New Sporting Magazine some few years since, a writer 

 under the signature of Dashwood recommended the 

 use of mangel wiirzel, such food might do extremely 

 well for fattening pigs or cows, or for pointers or 

 harriers which did not work very hard, but for fox- 

 hounds whose powers of exertion are taxed to a much 

 greater degree, such succulent food would never 

 answer. I have used at various times many different 

 kinds of meal, but am thoroughly convinced by expe- 

 rience, that nothing will answer to feed fox-hounds on, 

 but the best old oatmeal. Beckford has no objection 

 to barley-flour mixed with the oatmeal, and gives the 

 following method for mixing and preparing it. In 

 speaking of the preparation of food for hounds, he 

 says: "I have inquired of my feeder, who is a good 

 one (and has had more experience in these matters 

 than any one you may perhaps get), how he mixes up 

 his meat. He tells me that in his opinion, oatmeal and 

 barley mixed, an equal quantity of each, make the best 

 meat for hounds. The oatmeal he boils for half-an- 

 hour, and then pu-ts out the fire, puts the barley into 

 the copper, and mixes both together. I asked him 

 why he boiled one and not the other; he told me, 



