270 
Management of Farm-Horses. 
amount of nervous energy to be devoted to the functions of 
digestion than he would be able to supply ; for the less concen- 
trated the food the greater the demand on the digestive functions. 
When labour, therefore, is required, we must have recourse to 
more concentrated food, though we shall have to purchase it at a 
dearer rate. The food princijially used for this purpose in this 
country, and which appears to agree best with the constitution of 
the horse, is oats. 
If we refer to the analysis of oats we find that in 100 parts 
there are contained of — 
Starch, &c. . . 46 lbs. 
Fat . . . 5 „ 
Albumen, &c. . . H „ 
We may consider the value of oats to be about 3*. per bushel 
weighing 37 lbs., or 3s. 4d. per bushel if of 40 lbs. weight, which 
will bring the cost of 100 lbs. to nearly 8s. ; now if we value the 
constituents at the same ratio as in hay, we find — 
s. d. 
Starch, &c. 46 lbs. at \d. per lb. . .3 10 
?n * *e 'i? " }l61bs. at Urf. per lb. 2 0 
Albumen, &c. 11 „ J ^ ^ 
5 10 
Which sum will be insufficient; if however 
we add one-third . . . .111 
We have 7 9 
Or nearly sufficient; so that It appears that the nutriment con- 
tained in oats is one-third dearer than that in hay ; to compensate 
for which extra expense the food is more .concentrated, easier of 
digestion, and its nutritious properties consequently likely to be 
more perfectly extracted. 
Again, with regard to beans, we find that 100 parts contain of 
s. d. 
Starch, &c. 40 lbs., which at \d. will amount to 3 4 
Itmen.&c.26*:;}28il'-atlKdo.. . 3 6f 
Together amounting to . . . . . 6 11 f 
It will therefore be necessary to add one-fourth . 1 
Which makes 8 8^ 
For we find that 1 bushel of beans, weighing 
64 lbs., is worth, on the average at 44*. per qr. .5 6 
Half a bushel more, or 32 lbs. . . .29 
The odd 4 lbs 0 4 
Making altogether 
