234 VETEEINAKY HYGIENE 



Horses will also do well on chopped straw, but from what 

 has been said, it will be seen that the amount of nutriment 

 it contains must depend very largely on the period at which 

 it is cut. 



The straw which presents the largest amount of proteid 

 and the best chemical composition is oat. It is the one 

 generally used for feeding purposes, and some authorities 

 consider it is the most nourishing and best to employ, and 

 infinitely superior to indifferent hay. Next to it comes 

 wheat straw, while the straws of barley and rye are con- 

 sidered indigestible. 



Long straw is not much used for the feeding of horses, 

 but chaffed with hay it is a useful and economical addition 

 to the diet of working animals, especially those of the 

 heavier breeds. It can also be employed in the chopped 

 condition mixed with corn, to prevent animals bolting their 

 food. 



The straws of leguminous plants are much richer in 

 proteid than that of cereals, but at the same time contain 

 less digestible fibre. Their value for feeding purposes is 

 determined by the period at which they are cut, for the 

 more mature they become the larger the amount of fibre 

 they contain. For feeding purposes pea is preferred to 

 bean straw. The late Dr. Voelcker considered that green 

 oat straw and pea-haulm approached nearest in composi- 

 tion to hay. 



In reviewing the straw feeding question and speaking 

 generally, it may be said that it is of far greater value for 

 ruminants than for horses. That horses do well on some 

 straws is undoubted, oat straw is largely used in Australia 

 and South Africa with the best results, but it is cut at the 

 right time with the oats still in the ear, and the straw 

 young, tender and nutritious. 



It has been recognised for years that bulky and relatively 

 innutritious fodder is a common cause of ' broken wind ' 

 in horses; this condition of the respiratory apparatus 

 appears secondary to digestive derangement, and the cause 

 most commonly alleged as bringing it about is a coarse 



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