582 A HISTORY OP THE PERCHERON HORSE 



good hoof ointment. Rub it into the hoofs and the 

 coronets, as this tends to stimulate the growth of 

 the hoof and helps to keep it in good condition. 



"Care should be taken to give the horses plenty 

 of fresh air. The barns or sheds should be well 

 ventilated. The bams must be kept clean and well 

 disinfected so that the stalls will not betray stable 

 odors. Above all things get the horse to lie down 

 as much as possible. Keep his stall in such shape 

 and so well bedded that he will be encouraged to 

 lie down and rest. Good rye straw is the best kind 

 of bedding, and good wheat straw comes next. 



' ' Good, big, draft geldings, well proportioned and 

 sound, will always bring a good price if properly 

 fitted. Any farmer who has good com and oats 

 and first-class clover hay can well afford to feed 

 out the surplus geldings which he has for sale, as 

 it will add much more to their value than the cost 

 of feeding amounts to. In buying geldings for 

 feeding purposes, however, one must have at least 

 a $50 spread between purchase price and the price 

 he expects to get when they are sold in order to be 

 at all safe, and I prefer to have a little more than 

 this where possible. Whenever I buy a thin gelding 

 for feeding purposes, I have a mental picture of the 

 kind of gelding he will look like when he is fijiished. 

 I usually try to have in mind the buyer who will 

 want just that kind of gelding, so that in my buy- 

 ing and feeding operations I am selecting horses for 

 certain specific purposes and certain particular buy- 

 ers. No farmer should undertake to buy geldings 

 for feeding purposes until he has had some exper- 

 ience in finishing out his own surplus horses, or 

 has acquired some familiarity with the task by feed- 

 ing out small bunches, say 2 or 4 horses. Experience 

 is a most valuable asset." 



