Among Horses in India. 33 



Government, ifc has been found that in whatever proportion 

 maize be substituted for oats, loss of muscle and energy- 

 manifests itself ; besides which, horses sweat inordinately and 

 are easily blown.' 



In Austria 5,200 army horses were fed partly upon maize 

 .for six months. They increased in weight and had very 

 glossy coats, but seemed to lose in vigour as compared with 

 those fed upon oats. This was particularly noticed in the 

 fast paces, in which they sweated far more profusely. 



The Vienna Tramway Company made similar experiments, 

 and found that the saving in cost of food did not compensate 

 for loss of power and speed. 



Oats. 



Oats can rarely be procured except in certain districts, but 

 are grown in considerable quantities in Tirhoot and in the 

 neighbourhood of Hapur, near Meerut. The former district 

 being moist and the latter dry, there is little doubt but that 

 they would thrive in any part of India. 



It is a pity that they are not cultivated extensively, for 

 although inferior to good European oats, bein g more husky 

 and less full in the grain, they are the most wholesome food 

 that can be given to a horse, decidedly superior to gram or 

 barley. 



Captain Hayes, one of the best authorities upon horse 

 management in India, in his book upon Training, says : 

 ' My experience is, that even with Indian oats a horse can be 

 got at least seven pounds better than when any other grain is 

 substituted.' 



Large quantities of oats were grown upon the farm lands 

 of the late Bengal studs. The unthrashed straw was chopped 

 into pieces about an inch in length and mixed with other 

 food. 



Mote. 



Mote is a grain much used by native horse- owners. It is 

 called mung or mutki, and its botanical name is Phaseolus 

 aconitifolius. Like gram, it belongs to the leguminous order 

 of plants. 



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