DISEASES OF ANIMALS IN INDIA. 9 
food, and for which salt has been given to man as a preven- 
tive of cholera. Salt has been long used as preservative of 
the health of animals, even salt marshes to sheep ; and salt 
has been used as corrective of mouldy hay, which is then 
eaten by animals. It is not usual to give salt to horses in 
England ; but you must start in India with an unprejudiced 
mind, as many native customs, in the management of animals, 
somewhat different to those of Europeans, are beneficial 
under particular circumstances of the country. 
In many parts of India — the regular cavalry and irregular 
cavalry, indeed, in all parts, are without stables, exposed to 
cold at night, in the cold season, in the rains perhaps for 
several days, having their clothing saturated, and from the 
sympathy existing between the skin, the thoracic, and abdo- 
minal viscera, it is not to be wondered at, that the latter are 
very liable to become, at such times, affected with diarrhoea ; 
but it has not, in my experience, ever run into choleraic 
symptoms, or been fatal as diarrhoea alone. 
The most frequent cause of diarrhoea in animals in India is 
green grass of quick growth from the great heat. It is dried 
as soon as the sun appears ; but it is only at the stud depots 
that hay is made in great quantity, and kept for future use. 
It unfortunately happens that cavalry are so liable to be 
removed from one station to another, or on service, this 
cannot be done without risk of loss, and the natives do not 
make hay, except near the presidencies, where there is 
demand for it. 
Cereals and pulses being trodden out of the straw, it is 
thereby broken into chaff, upon which they feed cattle : it can 
always be had, and is the best means, mixed with grain, to 
prevent either diarrhoea from too much grain or green grass. 
I recollect rye causing diarrhoea to horses in Spain ; yet the 
Germans feed horses with rye, but mixed with chaff, and bait 
with leavened rye bread. 
The ordinary food of animals with the army in India is as 
follows : 
Horses . 10 lbs. of grain, Grass-cutters allowed. 
Oxen . . 4 lbs. „ 14 lbs. of chaff, or 20 lbs. of 
dried grass. 
Camels . 3 lbs. „ 20 lbs of chaff. 
The allowance of grain for horses was reduced 1 lb. during 
the hot w r eather and rains. The quantity of grain is doubled 
for oxen and camels in extra work. Elephants are allowed 
wheaten meal for unleavened cakes, and aloes as masaulah. 
Cordial seeds and masaulahs are also occasionally allowed for 
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