236 VETEEINARY HYGIENE 



a very high proportion of proteid substances, and advantage 

 is taken of this fact by employing them where a rich and 

 highly concentrated food is required for hard worked 

 horses. 



From the Natural Order Linacece is obtained a valuable 

 grain rich in oil and proteid, and largely used in the feed- 

 ing of cattle, to which it is better adapted than horses owing 

 to its fatty nature. 



These three groups contain all the ordinary grains in 

 use for -feeding animals, and their individual properties 

 may now be considered. 



Oats. 



About sixty varieties of oats are known, of which twelve 

 are in general use, the best being the Potato, Hopetoun, 

 Sand and Early Angus. 



There are several gradations of colour, but they may 

 broadly be divided into white and black. The general 

 prejudice is in favour of white oats, the black as a rule are 

 lighter and grown on poorer soil. 



Oats require a rich soil, though they can be grown on 

 poor land, with, of course, a marked reduction in their 

 nutritive value. 



Oats should be cut before they are fully ripe, and they 

 need to stand some time in the field prior to stacking as 

 they are liable to heat. 



After being stacked they require to be kept for about a 

 year before they are fit for food. In the condition known 

 as ' new ' they are liable to disagree with horses (p. 157). 



Of all grains oats represent the one which is essentially 

 a horse-feeding grain, and this fact is explained by their easy 

 digestibility, and by the well-balanced condition in which 

 the proximate principles exist. The nitrogenous ratio is 

 about the same as in grass, they contain a good but not 

 excessive proportion of nitrogen, and relatively to the other 

 cereals a large proportion of fat. Digestion experiments 

 show that on an average 77 per cent, of the proteids, and 

 73 per cent, of the nitrogen free extract are digested. 



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