AKllCJ-ES USED AS FOOD. 175 



kept throughuiit the winter entirely upon steamed potatoes. 

 Each horse got fifty pounds per day, and did the ordinary 

 work of the farm with the greatest ease. Some salt was 

 mixed w^ith them, and occasionally a little sulphur, which is 

 quite superfluous. 



According to Professor Low, fifteen pounds of raw potatoes 

 yield as much nutriment as four and a half pounds of oats. 

 A^on Thaer says, that three bushels are equal i6 112 lbs. of 

 hay. Curwen, who tried potatoes very extensively in feeding 

 horses, says that an acre goes as far as four acres of hay. 

 He steamed them all, and allowed each horse daily 21 lbs., 

 w^th a tenth of cut straw, which he preferred to hay for this 

 mode of feeding. 



The potatoes should be of a good kind and not frosted. 

 They should always be cooked either by steaming or boiling. 

 They are best when steamed. Horses like them as well 

 raw, but they are excessively flatulent, and this bad property 

 is much corrected by cooking, and by adding some salt. 

 When boiled, the process should be performed with little 

 water, and as quickly as possible. When nearly ready, the 

 w^ater should be altogether withdrawn, and the potatoes al- 

 lowed to dry, uncovered, on the fire for a few minutes. They 

 should be put on with hot water. They are always over- 

 boiled. Horses prefer them when hard at the heart. There 

 is a general prejudice against the liquor in which potatoes 

 are boiled. It is said to be injurious. In small quantities it 

 certainly produces no apparent evil, I often see it given, not 

 as a drink, but along with potatoes, beans, and chaff, which 

 are all boiled together and mixed into a uniform mass, in gen- 

 eral too soft. In some places the potatoes are not washed 

 when boiled. If the earth do not relax the bowels, I am not 

 aware that it does any injury, and the horses do not appear 

 to dislike it. When the mass, however, from the addition of 

 chaff, requires much mastication, this sand or earth must 

 wear down the teeth very fast. 



Turnips are in very general use for farm and cart-horses. 

 Of late they have also been used a good deal in the coaching- 

 stables ; in many they have superseded the carrot. The 

 Swedish variety is preferred. Common white and also yel- 

 low turnips are almost worthless. According to Von Thaer, 

 100 pounds of Swedes are equal in nutriment to 22 of hay. 

 For slow horses, turnips to a certain extent supersede grain, 

 but for fast-workers, they save the hay more than the grain. 

 They have a fine odor when boiled, and this seems to make 



