580 A HISTORY OF THE PERCHEBON HORSE 



"There are some incidentals that contribute to 

 success in feeding operations. Horses should be fed 

 on dirt floors, if possible. When a barn is well 

 drained and good dirt floors have been properly- 

 built in the stalls, no better foundation can be ob- 

 tained. The stalls should be kept carefully cleaned 

 out, occasionally disinfected, and well bedded, so 

 that the horses will feel disposed to lie down and 

 rest frequently and for. considerable periods. 



"We do not Wanket our draft horses in. the 

 winter, unless we are preparing them for some spe- 

 cial sale and want to get a little extra bloom on 

 their coats. In the summer we darken the stable, 

 have screen doors, and also use large fly traps so 

 as to keep the flies out of the bam as completely 

 as possible. 



"I prefer open mangers, and would emphasize 

 the fact that it is very necessary to keep mangers 

 and feedboxes scrupulously clean. When our horses 

 are ready for shipment, we reduce the amount of 

 grain for the last 3 days before shipping and do 

 not feed any grain at all on the day we ship, depend- 

 ing simply on hay and water. 



"I prefer to sell my horses at my own barns and 

 have always found it best to get the big eastern 

 buyers to come direct to my place whenever I have 

 a carload of good horses for sale. During the last 

 year it has been decidedly injudicious to ship geld- 

 ings to the large commercial markets. The tremen- 

 dous trade in war horses and the large amount of 

 shipping back and forth horses that did not pass 

 inspection has spread influenza and shipping fever. 

 If the geldings are taken directly from the bams 

 where they are fed to the point where they are to go 

 to work they are likely to get through in healthy 

 condition and without any trouble of any kind. 



