THEIR FEED AND THEIR FEET. 29 



peptic ; all such are suffering from disease of the 

 digestive organs. Since horses do not eat fish, flesh, 

 and fowl, and the pernicious condiments associated 

 with these stimulating articles of diet, and are free 

 from all nuisances in the form of pastry, puddings, 

 spices, and bon-bons, they have only two sources for 

 digestive disorder, viz. :(i) Excess in diet, and (2) 

 wrong condition at the time of eating. 



It is true — most emphatically true — that unless 

 the stable is well ventilated, the horse must suffer for 

 want of pure air. Poor food and pure air make bet- 

 ter blood than the best of food and foul air ; and if 

 there is abuse in this regard, the animal may fatten — 

 in fact, this tends to insure fattening, since, for want 

 of pure air in the lungs, the excretories (the lungs 

 themselves, the liver, kidneys, skin, and bowels) can 

 not perform their functions in eliminating the foul 

 products of the natural waste of the system, and of in- 

 digestion, in case of excess in diet. Hence the animal 

 becomes diseased, and along with constitutional dis- 

 order, the digestive organs themselves become im- 

 paired ; and thus fattening may be called a third source 

 of digestive disorder. I repeat that no creature, man 

 or beast, should eat when tired, or directly before 

 commencing hard work. 



REST AFTER EATING. 



The experiment of Jules Virez settled the question 

 as to the non-digestion of food in default of rest. 

 He selected two curs of the same size, age, and 

 general physique, made them fast a day, and treated 



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