19 



will it answer to feed liirn entirely upon concentrated food. Bulky food 

 must be given to detain the grains in their iiassage through the intes- 

 tinal tract; bulk also favors distention, and thus mechanically aids 

 absorption. To horses that do slow work for the greater i^art of the 

 time, chopped or cut hay fed with crushed oats, ground corn, etc., is 

 the best manner of feeding, as it gives the required bulk, saves time, 

 and half the labor of feeding. 



tSuddcn changes of diet are ahcays dangerous.— Vlhcn desirous of chang- 

 ing the food, do so very gradually. If a horse is accustomed to oats a 

 sudden change to a full meal of corn will almost always sicken him. If 

 we merely intend to increase the quantity of the tisual feed,, this again 

 must be done gradually. The quantity of food given must always be 

 in proportion to the amount of labor to be i^erformed. If a horse is to 

 do less work, or rest entirely from work for a few days, see that he re- 

 ceives less feed. If this was observed even on Saturday night and 

 Sunday there would befewer cases of "Monday morning sickness, "such 

 as colics and lymphangitis. Foods should also be of a more laxative 

 nature when the horse is to stand for some days. Above all things we 

 should avoid feeding musty or moldy foods. These are very frequent 

 causes of disease of different kinds. Lung trouble, as bronchitis and 

 "heaves," often follows the use of such food. The digestive organs 

 always suffer from moldy or musty foods. Musty hay is generally con- 

 sidered to produce disorder of the kidneys; and all know of the danger 

 to pregnant animals from feeding upon ergotized grasses or grains. 



Leaving these somewhat general considerations, I will refer briefly to 

 the different kinds of foods : 



Eay. — The best hay for horses is timothy. It should be about one 

 year old, of a greenish color, crisp, clean, fresh, and possessing a sweet, 

 pleasant aroma. Even this good hay, if kept for too great a length of 

 time, loses part of its nourishment, and while it may not be positively 

 injurious, it is hard, dry, and indigestible. Yiew hay is difficult to di- 

 gest, produces much salivation (slobbering) and occasionally purging 

 and irritation of the skin. If fed at all it should be mixed with old hay. 



Second crop or aftermath. — This is not considered good hay for horses, 

 but it is prized by some farmers as a good food for milch cows, they 

 claiming that it increases the flow of milk. The value of hay depends 

 upon the time of cutting, as well as care in curing. Hay should be 

 cut when in full flower, but before the seeds fixU; if left longer, it be- 

 comes dry and woody and lacks in nutrition. An essential point in 

 making hay is that when the crop is cut it should remain as short a 

 time as i)0ssible in the field. If left too long in the sun it loses color, 

 flavor, and dries or wastes. Smith asserts that one hour more than is 

 necessary in the sun causes a loss of 15 to •20 per cent, in the feeding 

 value of hay. It is impossible to state any fixed time that hay must 

 have to cure, this depeudingj of course, upon the weather, thickness of 



