DENTITION AND DIET. 141 
or less, completes tne destruction of organization, and better pre- 
pares them for the action of weak solvents, 
Changes in diet will sometimes work wonders in the restoration 
of a dyspeptic; yet he will require, also, suitable medicinal agents, 
in view of augmenting the digestive function, for which purpose 
the following is recommended : 
No. 17. Fluid extract of chamomile........ soeeee 4 OL 
Fluid extract of ginger...... caswenae BO: 
Powdered hyposulphite of aida scuesses 2 OM 
Water........ oie are sera 8 sesscececees 5 om, 
Mix. 
Dose, a wine-glassful night aud morning. 
CHANGES IN DIET. 
Sudden changes in diet are not recommended. For example, 
~aould an animal have been previously fed on corn, meal, or oata 
re should not be turued out to shift for himself, as the saying is, 
und depend entirely on grass for a living. Grass ucts on horses 
unaccustomed to it as an aperient—scours them—which is a de- 
bilitating process. Grass may improve the health of a fat, lazy, or 
humery horse—reduce flesh and purify his blood; but the emaci- 
atel horse requires, in zddition, a daily feed of oats or cracked 
corn, to make up for the deficiency of carbon in the former. For 
these, and other reasons that we might urge, the reader will per- 
ceive that changes in diet can only be made valuable in proportion 
to our knowledge of the wants of the animal economy. 
A great proportion of our horses are too well fed, obtaining more 
food than they require. In this land of plenty, most of our valu- 
able horees are overfed; and more especially does this happen 
among aninia.: ~wned by wealthy and liberal individuals. The 
impression we wish to convey to the mind of the reader is, that 
the food of such is not propertioned to labor; in other words, 
there exists a disproportion between the amount of carbon taken, 
in the form of food, and the oxygen received, in the process of 
respiration. Now, tv illustrate this, we will suppose that a man 
engaged in mercantile pursuits owns cne or more horses. He has 
not the time nor inclination to give the one or the other the neces- 
gary amount of exercise. They stand up toa full crib, from day 
to day, enjoying or, rather, gorging themselves with, a certain 
