PRiNCTICAL HORSE FEEDING 



337 



other cases at the acual cost on the farm, thus giving 

 three cpst prices. The better way to state the cost o£ 

 raising a horse is to give the food required to grow him 

 and then each person can estimate the cost according to 

 the value he wishes to place on the food. 



The sucking colt, fed grain as suggested (p. 291), will 

 consume about 180 pounds up to weaning time. As a 

 weanling he will consume five pounds of grain and seven 

 pounds of hay per day ; as a yearling seven pounds of grain 

 and 18 pounds of hay; and as a two-year-old he will con- 

 sume nine pounds of grain and 20 pounds of hay daily. 

 These figures represent averages obtained from four 

 years' work in growing colts. The heavy draft colts con- 

 sumed somewhat large quantities, while the light ones 

 ate considerably less. The grain consisted of 50 parts 

 corn meal, 25 parts wheat bran and 25 parts ground oats, 

 while the hay consisted of sweet, clean clover or alfalfa. 

 The total food consumed up to three years of age is as 

 follows : 



Food Consumed by Growing Colts 



Accoi-ding to this computation, a three-year-old colt 

 costs approximately 2% tons of grain, 4% tons of hay, 

 and 15 months' pasture, on the average. 



Factors in reducing cost of horse labor. — There are a 

 number of factors operating to affect the cost of horse 

 labor, chief of which are increasing the efficiency of the 



