308 FEEDING AND WATERING. 



cause purging. When it is a year old, it should retain much of its 

 green color and agreeable smell.* Blades of corn pulled and 

 cured in the summer are unquestionably much better than hay. I 

 should certainly prefer this kind of fodder to any kind of hay, for 

 •fine horses. It is strange that it is not prized more highly in the 

 North. 



Oats make more muscle than corn ; corn makes fat ^nd 

 warmth. Hence, the colder the weather, the more corn may be 

 given, and the harder the work, the more oats. Oats should be 

 a year old, heavy; dry, and sweet, New oats will weigh from ten 

 to fifteen per cent more than old ones ; but the difference is princi- 

 pally water. New oats are said to be more difficult to digest, and 

 when eaten in considerable quantity are apt to cause flatulency or 

 colic, and derangement of the stomach or bowels. The same may 

 be said of corn. If not sound and dry, it may be regarded even 

 much more dangerous than oats, and should not be fed. ,' Doing so 

 will be at the hazard of the consequences above mentioned. 



The quantity of oats given daily may vary from eight to six- 

 teen quarts. If the horse is large, and the work is severe, a little 

 more may, be given. Corn should be fed in the ear, and like oats 

 must be regulated in quantity to the size and labor of the animal ; 

 from five to twelve good-sized ears are a feed. I give a larger pro- 

 portion of feed at night, and less in the morning and at noon. There 

 is ample time for digestion during the , night. There is not during 

 the day, if the labor is severe. Experience proves that some mildly 

 cooling laxative food should be occasionally 1 given. A bran mash, 

 made- by pouring boiling water on eight or ten quarts of wheat bran, 

 covered over until cool and fed at night, from one to three times a 

 week, is the finest and best. 



Carrots are a good laxative and alterative before frost, but are 

 too cold and constipating during cold weather. They may be fed 

 in October, November, and December, but in the Northern States 

 not later. 



I feed Irish potatoes, from one to, three quarts, with the usual 

 quantity of grain, from two to three or four times a week, and would 

 recommend their use. Feeding a small quantity of roots and giving 

 bran mashes keep the bowels open and the system in a healthy 

 condition. Without them constipation is probable, and this is one 

 of the primary causes of diarrhea, colic, or inflammation of the bow- 



*In packing or stacking hay, salt should lie slightly sprinkled through it bo as to destroy In- 

 sects. It »>«o aids in preserving it bright, and makes it more palatable and healthful for the 

 horse. 



