38 HORSE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA 



for a few hours. Besides, there is always danger of 

 disease germs being conveyed to the grass, from the 

 water in which it may have been washed ; for the filthiest 

 pool will be considered, by the grass-cutters, quite good 

 enough for this purpose. "It should be an invariable 

 rule never to feed horses on grass grown in swamps, on 

 account of the numerous lower forms of animal and 

 vegetable life found in stagnant water. Horned cattle 

 living on swampy land are particularly liable to anthrax ; 

 and there is no doubt but that this very fatal disease, 

 called in India Loodianali fever (a form of anthrax), is 

 often caused by horses either drinking stagnant water, 

 or eating grass grown in it. Worm in the eye also 

 appears to be produced in the same way." (Meyrick.) 



1 have abridged the following remarks on grass and 

 hay, from a paper by M. L. Grandeau, which appeared in 

 the Journal d' Agriculture Pratique : — 



Growing grass possesses a waxy envelope, which 

 protects the sugar, albumen, and other soluble compounds 

 contained in it, from being dissolved by moisture and 

 rain. When the grass is cut, this varnish gradually 

 wears away, and if the grass be exposed to wet, it will 

 then lose a considerable portion of its nutritive elements, 

 especially if this envelope be bruised in any way. As 

 long as the plant lives, it cannot be the seat of fermenta- 

 tion, which process is caused by the nitrogenous matters 

 coming in contact with the sugar and water, on the 

 breaking up of the different cells which compose the 

 substance of the grass. During fermentation, the non- 

 nitrogenous matters are turned into sugar, then into 

 alcohol, and finally into carbonic acid, which is set free 



