ABOUT FLESH AND FEEDING. 61 



sportsmen will tell you, that during the dead months, 

 hounds ought not to touch one morsel of flesh in any 

 shape whatever; experience has convinced me that 

 without a constant use of it, although in moderation, 

 no pack of fox-hounds can be kept in real hard condi- 

 tion. If owners of all descriptions of hounds would 

 feed them higher in the summer, and give them more 

 strong exercise early in the morning, than is generally 

 the case, a tired hound would seldom be met with in 

 the early part of the season, and the necessity of the 

 use of styptic tinctures and sharp water would be 

 nearly abolished from the kennel. When flesh cannot 

 be obtained, a broth made of greaves may be used, it 

 is a thing which all dogs are particularly fond of, and 

 frequently the sick ones, which will not eat the com- 

 mon kennel-food, will feed on that which is mixed 

 with greaves; the giving them this broth will prevent 

 their going off their feed, and losing their condition, 

 nevertheless it should be given most sparingly, as 

 notliino- will render them foul in their bodies sooner if 

 used for many days ; a few pails of sweet skimmed milk 

 may generally be obtained, during the days that flesh 

 is scarce, from some neighbouring farm, which is an ex- 

 cellent substitute, when they are not at work. In sum- 

 mer when they have only their ordinary exercise, a day 

 or two's short commons is not of much consequence ; 

 but during hard work, one unwholesome meal or half 

 a belly-full, may waste them in their flesh, and lower 

 their vigour and condition to such an extent, that it 

 may take three weeks or a month to retrieve it. 



Some persons use biscuits occasionally during the 

 summer months, but I should fancy no good judges 



