THE FEEDING OF HORSES 241 



ably by those who have fed them as a part of the roughage. Like 

 corn stover they are available^ to feed only on the farms where 

 grown. 



Corn Stover. — In the early winter, before the leeching and 

 blowing away of its most nutritive and palatable parts has been 

 accomplished, corn stover is one of the best kinds of roughage 

 for hoi-ses, either at rest or at work. It has a nutritive value 

 about equal to timothy hay, from which it affords a change. 

 Horses do not fill to excess on it as they do on hay, and it is posi- 

 tively beneficial to horees which have mild cases of heaves 

 aggravated by the feeding of hay of e^-en good quality. Horses 

 eat the leaves and pick at the stalks readily without shredding. 

 In fact, they seem to prefer stripping the leaves from the stalks 

 rather than seeking out the finer parts from among the sections 

 of stalk, in tlie cut or shredded stover. Idle horses will strip 

 and eat quite a large portion of the stalk itself, if not over-siip- 

 l^lied with the finer parts. More com stover will be eaten if hay 

 is not furnished at the same time. 



In many parts of tlie Soudi the tops and leaves are pulled 

 from the corn plants, ciu-ed, and done up in bundles for horee 

 feed. Pulled com and sheaf oats are highly esteemed for the 

 purpose of bring-ing back a stale show or race horse or to start 

 one already in poor condition. 



Oat straw, if bright, well cleaned, and not too ripe, doe^ 

 well for horses not at hard work. Its feeding condition is im- 

 proved by chaffing and moistening with diluted molasses. 



Sheaf Oats. — When available, sheaf oats are excellent for 

 horses with ample time in which to feed. 



Cereal Hay. — The cereals, especially barley and oats, either 

 or both in combination with field peas, make excellent hay for 

 horses if cut in the dough stage. Their use, like that of sheaf 

 oats and pulled com, would be resorted to in order to meet special 

 requirements or secure unusual results, rather than in the eco- 

 nomic maintenance of horse power. 



SrCCULEXCE 



Snccidence is most essential to horses which do not have the 

 stimulating effect of their ration offset by an abundance of ex- 

 16 



