FOOD. 396 



The horse of the inferior farmer is sometimes fed on hay or 

 grass alone, and the animal, although he rarely gets a feed of 

 graia, maintains himself in tolerable condition, and does the work 

 that is required of him : but hay and grass alone, however good 

 m quality, or in whatever quantity allowed, will not support a 

 horse under hard work. Other substances containing a large 

 proportion of nutriment in a smaller compass, have been added. 

 They shall be briefly enumerated, and an estimate formed of their 

 comparative value. 



In almost every part of Great Britain, Oats have been selected 

 as that portion of the food which is to afibrd the principal nour- 

 ishment. They contain seven hundred and forty-three parts out 

 of a thousand of the nutritive matter. They should be about or 

 somewhat less than a year old, heavy, dry, and sweet. New 

 oats w^ill weigh ten or fifteen per cent, more than old ones ; 

 but the diilerence consists principally in watery matter, which is 

 gradually evaporated. New oats are not so readily ground down 

 by the teeth as old ones. They form a more glutinous mass, dif- 

 ficult to digest, and, when eaten in considerable quantities, are apt 

 to occasion colic and even staggers. If they are to be used before 

 they are from three to five months old, they would be materi- 

 ally improved by a little kiln-drying. There is no fear for the 

 horses from simple dryuig, if the com was good when it was put 

 iato the kUn. The old oat forms, when chewed, a smooth and 

 uniform mass, which readily dissolves in the stomach, and yields 

 tlie noiirishment which it contains. Perhaps some chemical 

 change may have been slowly efiected in the old oat, disposing it 

 to be more readily assimilated. Oats should be plump, bright in 

 color, and firee from unpleasant smell or taste. The musty smell 

 of wetted or damaged grain is produced by a fungus which grows 

 upon the seed, and which has an injurious eifect on the urinary 

 organs, and often on the intestines, producing profiise staling, in- 

 fiammation of the kidneys, colic, and inflammation of the bowels. 



This musty smell is removed by kiln-drying the oat ; but care 

 is here requisite that too great a degree of heat is not employed. 

 It should be suflicient to destroy the fungus without injuring the 

 life of the seed. A considerable improvement would be efiected 

 by cutting the unthrashed oat-straw into chaff, and the expense 

 of thrashing would be saved. Oat-straw is better than that of 

 barley, but does not contain so much nutriment as that of wheat 



, When the horse is fed on hay and oats, the quantity of the oats 

 must vary with his size and the work to be performed. In win- 

 ter, four feeds, or from ten to fourteen pounds of oats in the day, 

 will be a fair allowance for a horse of fifteen hands one or two 

 inches high, and that has moderate work. In summer, half the 

 quantity, with green food will be suiflcient. Those which work 



