CORDIAL BALLS, AND HORSE-BREAD. 135 



over-fatigued, lessen the exercise a day or two, and 

 give for a couple of successive evenings, at the last 

 half-past eight o'clock feed, one map of barley, boiled 

 for two hours, one ditto of sago, and two maps of bran 

 rnash, into which put four drachms of gum arabic and 

 two of rock salt. Give also the following cordial-ball 

 at daybreak, and a little bajree flour gruel just before 

 his first watering time in the morning. Cordial ball : 

 One drachm Columbo root, one drachm gentian, 

 one drachm anise-seed, three-quarters of a drachm of 

 gingfe*, half a drachm of turmeric, half a drachm of 

 sulphur, one -twelfth of a drachm of bhang, and one- 

 twelfth of a drachm of opium, all finely pounded, and 

 mixed up with the inside of a couple of figs or dates : 

 or boil the figs or dates, skins and all, in a little su- 

 gar and butter, then mix in the ingredients. 



Cordial balls, two or three a week, or half a one 

 daily, are also indispensable to many delicate horses 

 the last month in training ; and the above is as good 

 a one as at this time can be made up ; yet it is very 

 unpleasant to have to ball a horse continually, how- 

 ever expert the horsekeeper may be in doing it. A 

 drench is preferable.'"" Half, or three-quarters of a 

 pint of warmed beer is the best vehicle for these in- 

 gredients, or wash the ball down with the beer. 



Horse-bread, though seldom made in India, is 

 beneficial on many occasions during training. When 

 the muzzle is put on at nine o'clock, and nothing 

 given till feeding-time on return from exercise in the 

 morning, there is a fast of nearly twelve hours. This 

 is just six hours too long. Half a loaf of bread, given 



* To this I dissent. As before stated it is always much more annoying to 

 %]horse to^give a drench than a ball. Ei>. 



