FOOD. 39>J 



it is about a year old, it retains or should retain somewhat of its 

 green color, its agreeable smell and its pleasant taste. It has un- 

 dergone the slow process of fermentation, by which the sugar 

 which it contains is developed, and its nutritive quality is fully 

 exercised. Old hay becomes dry and tasteless, and innutritive 

 and unwholesome. After the grass is cut, and the hay stacked, 

 a slight degree of fermentation takes place in it. This is neces- 

 sary for the developement of the saccharine principle ; but occa- 

 sionally it proceeds too far and the hay becomes mowburnt, in 

 which state it is injurious, or even poisonous. The horse soon 

 shows the effect which it has upon him. He has diabetes to a 

 considerable degree — he becomes hidebound — ^his strength is 

 wasted — ^his thirst is excessive, and he is almost worthless. 



Where the system of manger-feeding is not adopted, or where 

 hay is still allowed at night, and chaff and corn in the day, there 

 is no error into which the farmer is so apt to fall as to give an un- 

 due quantity of hay, and that generally of the worst kind. If the 

 manger system is good, there can be no necessity for hay, or only 

 for a smaU quantity of it ; but if the rack is overloaded, the 

 greedy horse wiU. be eating all night, instead of taking rest — 

 when the time for the morning feed arrives, his stomach will be 

 already filled, and he will be less capable of work from the want 

 of sleep, and from the long-continued distention of the stomach 

 rendering it impossible for the food to be properly digested. 



It is a good practice to spriidvle the hay with water in which 

 salt has been dissolved. It is evidently more palatable to the ani- 

 mal, who will leave the best uiisalted hay for that of an inferior 

 quality that has been moistened with brine ; and there can be no 

 doubt that the salt very materially assists the process of digestion. 

 The preferable way of salting hay is to sprinlde it over the differ- 

 ent layers as the rick is formed. From its attraction for water, it 

 would combine with that excess of moisture which, in wet sea- 

 sons, is the cause of too rapid and violent fermentation, and of the 

 hay becoming mowburnt, or the rick catching fire, and it would 

 become more incorporated with the hay. The only objection ti 

 its being thus used is, that the color of the hay is not so bright ; 

 but this will be of little consequence for home consumption. 



Of the value of Tares, as forming a portion of the late spring 

 _and summer food of the stabled and agriculturaL horse, there can 

 be no doubt. They are cut after the pods are formed, but a con- 

 siderable time before the seeds are ripe. — They supply a larger 

 quantity of .food for a limited time than almost any other forage' 

 crop. Tne vicia sativa is the more profitable of the tare. It 

 is very nutritive, and acts as a gentle aperient. When surfeit- 

 lumps appear on the skin, and the horse begins to rub himself 

 against the divisions of the stall, and the lep swell, and the heels 



