FOOD 207 



very hard work out of a grass-fed horse in England, even 

 •when corn forms part of the ration ; this may be owing to 

 the laxative properties of grass. It is quite impossible to 

 get anything but the slowest work out of the entirely grass- 

 fed horse. 



It at first sight seems strange that the practice of Africa, 

 India, and America, should prove useless in Europe. In 

 all these continents horses are fed, in some cases entirely, 

 on the ordinary grass of the country, and both thrive 

 and work well. The Boer pony gets little else but grass, 

 and a handful of Indian corn when obtainable, and he can 

 go all day. The explanation appears to lie in the fact 

 that the grass of- these continents is far dryer than that 

 of northern Europe, and that less has to be consumed to 

 furnish the needful amount of nourishment. Further, 

 the individual grasses may contain more nutriment ; for 

 instance, the unsavoury-looking bundle of grass in India 

 with adherent dirt, consists very largely of young under- 

 ground stems, very succulent and full of nourishment. 

 There appears no doubt also that the grass of South Africa 

 is highly nutritious, and that on it alone both horses and 

 oxen perform very hard work, the latter in fact get nothing 

 else. 



The average percentage composition of pasture grasses, 

 according to Wolff, is as follows : — ■ 



Water 



Proteids 



Fat 



Carbo-hydrates 



Cellulose 



Ash 



70-0 



3-4 



1-0 



13-4 



10-1 



2-1 



The difference between this average sample and the 

 composition of rich meadow grass, lies mainly in the 

 proteids which are higher in the latter. The proportion of 

 cellulose found in grass depends upon its age. In young 

 grass the amount is small, but it gradually increases as the 

 plant approaches maturity, while the proteid becomes less 

 as the plant ripens. 



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