FEEDING GROWING ANIMALS 359 



A good grain mixture for ordinary conditions would 

 be cracked corn two parts, wheat bran seven parts, and 

 linseed meal one part; or ground oats four parts, wheat 

 middlings five parts, and linseed meal one part. 



456. Rations for the colt before weaning. — ^Before the 

 colt is weaned, with good management, he will learn to 

 eat grain which is very likely to be the same mixture as 

 that eaten by the dam. If desired, an enclosure may be 

 built, into which the colt and not the mother can pass, 

 where a special grain food may be provided. This brings 

 us to the consideration of what shall be the grain ration 

 of the colt, both before and after weaning. 



457. Oats as horse feed. — ^The opinion is generally 

 held that oats are superior to all other feeding-stuffs as 

 horse food, particularly for the development of those 

 qualities of temperament and muscle which are regarded 

 as so desirable, especially in a carriage horse. Oats are 

 usually comparatively costly, but it is claimed that the 

 superior results, whether in the kind of development of 

 the colt or in the quality of service of the matiu-e animal, 

 justify their use. In this particular case, as in others, 

 certain statements are currently accepted as facts which 

 have no well-established basis. 



Reference is frequently made to the tonic effect of 

 oats, and there has existed a popular notion that this 

 grain contains a peculiar compoimd which acts as a nerve 

 stimulant and imparts "life" to the horse. 



It was announced in 1883 that Sanson had discovered 

 in oats a characteristic alkaloid having a stimulating 

 effect upon the motor nerves of the horse, but subse- 

 quent elaborate investigations by Wrampelmyer failed to 

 verify Sanson's conclusions. Notwithstanding the fact 

 that the oat kernel has been the subject of very care- 



