22 



sometime. The roots may be considered tlien as an adjunct to the reg- 

 ular regime, and if fed in small quantities are highly beneficial. 



Grasses. — Grass is the natural food of horses. It is composed of a 

 great variety of plants, differing widely as to the amount of nourish- 

 ment contained, some being almost entirely without value as foods and 

 only eaten when there is nothing else obtainable, others are positively 

 injurious or even poisonous. K one of the grasses a re sufficient to keep the 

 horse in condition for work. Horses thus fed are "soft," sweat easily, 

 purge, and soon tire on the road or when at hard work. To growing 

 stock grass is ind:spensible, and there is little or no doubt but that it acts 

 as an alterative when given to horses accustomed to grain and hay. It 

 must be given to such subjects in small quantities at first. The stomach 

 and intestines undergo rest, and recuperate if the horse is turned to 

 grass for a time each year. It is also certain that during febrile diseases 

 grass acts almost as a medicine, lessening the fever and favoring re- 

 covery; wounds heal more rapidly than when the horse is on grain, and 

 some chronic disorders (chronic cough for instance) disappear entirely 

 when at grass. In my experience grass does more good when the horse 

 crops it himself. This may be due to the sense of freedom he enjoys 

 at pasture, to the rest to his feet and limbs, and for many similar 

 reasons. When cut for him it should be fed fresh or when but slightly 

 wilted. 



PREPAEATION OF FOODS. 



Foods are prepared for feeding for any of the following reasons : To 

 render the food more easily eaten; to make it more digestible; to 

 economize in amount; to give it some new property, and to preserve 

 it. We have already spoken of the preparation of drying, and need 

 not revert to this again, as it only serves to preserve the different foods. 

 Drying does, however, change some of the properties of food, i. e., re- 

 moves the laxative tendency of most of them. 



The different grains are more easily eaten when ground, crushed, or 

 even boiled. Eye or wheat should never be given whole, and even of 

 corn it is found that there is less waste when ground, and, in common 

 with all grains, it is more easily digested than when fed whole. 



Hay and fodder are economized when cut in short pieces. Kot only 

 will the horse eat the necessary amount in a shorter time, but it will be 

 found that there is less waste, and the mastication of the grains (whole 

 or crushed) fed with them is insured. 



Eeference has already been made to those horses that bolt their food, 

 and we need only remark here that the consequences of such ravenous 

 eating may be prevented if the grains are fed with cut hay, straw, or 

 fodder. Long or uncut hay should also be fed, even though a certain 

 amount of hay or straw is cut and fed mixed with grain. 



One objection to feeding cut hay mixed with ground or crushed grains, 

 and wetted, must not be overlooked during the hot months. Such food 



