368 



FEEDING ANIMALS. 



The first four in Boussingault's experiment were weaned 

 at 87 days, and No. 5 at 128 days. The second period was 

 after weaning, and the gain was much slower. The mean 

 increase of his foals during the period of suckling was 2.11 

 Ibs per day. Our three foals had only the milk of the 

 dams during 90 days, and the average gain per day was 

 2.06 Ibs. The next 60 days they each had one pint of oats 

 per day, in addition to milk of dam, and the average gain 

 per day was 1.71 Ibs. Had the extra feed been one quart, 

 they would probably have gained as fast as during the first 

 90 days. The colt, however, is no exception to other ani- 

 mals, in that the increase is more rapid, on the same food, 

 while under three or four months old than afterward. 



We continued the experiment by noting the gain in 

 weight of our three colts for 180 days longer, weighing the 

 food given, so as to determine the cost in food of each 

 pound of live weight. Each colt had two quarts of skim- 

 milk, commencing on the 16th of November, given with 

 oat-meal at the time of weaning, and continuing for 30 

 days. The average ration per day for the whole 180 days, 

 from the 16th of November to the 15th of May, exclusive 

 of milk, consisted of 22 Ibs. of clover hay, 6 Ibs. of oat- 

 meal, 3 Ibs. of wheat bran, and 2 Ibs. of oil-meal, for the 

 three, making a daily allowance per head of 11 Ibs. of this 



