38 Stable Management and the Prevention of Disease 



In some parts of India natives have a strange way of 

 preparing their horses for sale or show. They shut them in 

 a dark close stable, feed largely on green wheat, and keep 

 them without any exercise for four or five weeks. The results 

 are that the horses become loaded with fat, have glossy coats, 

 and are full of spirit, but are of course not fit for hard work. 



Geeen Barley. 



Green barley may be given instead of wheat, and in the 

 same quantities. It would probably have the same effect, 

 but 1 have had no experience in its use. 



Bamboo Leaves. 



Young bamboo leaves are strongly recommended by native 

 horse-owners as often useful to horses with coughs. In some 

 parts of Assam they are given regularly instead of grass, and 

 seem to answer well. 



Salt. 



Salt is usually given twice weekly — about an ounce at a 

 time to each horse. I think this is not nearly sufficient, and 

 that at least one ounce should be given daily. To large 

 Walers two ounces would not be too much. It should always 

 be mixed with the food under European supervision, other- 

 wise a considerable portion of it will be stolen by the saices. 



For the Government stallions under my charge in the 

 Punjab I made a practice of greatly increasing the ration of 

 salt whenever anthrax or Loodiana fever was in the neigh- 

 bourhood, giving two chittaks, or about four ounces^ daily to 

 each. 



I did this in hopes that it might render them less liable 

 than they would otherwise have been to the attacks of the 

 disease, and certainly was fortunate enough never to have 

 had a case amongst them, even when the fever was very 

 prevalent and fatal in the artillery and cavalry at the same 

 station. Of course it is impossible to be certain that their 

 immunity was owing to the salt — but it may have been so — 

 as that substance is very destructive to the lower forms of 



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