627 
TO “ THE VETERINARIAN,” &c. 
happens every day, if not every hour — the hunters are heated by 
gallopping before they enter on the luxury of the limpid lake. 
It is lamentable to think of the state of these two noble studs, con- 
taining nearly twenty roarers; a thing, I believe, quite unprece- 
dented, although I heard of some in other studs, not thus exposed 
to such exciting causes. Surely these two noblemen will not per- 
sist in the ruinous course of turning their hunters to grass in the 
summer, but will remember what I stated in Bell’s Life as to the 
ranging of the thermometer a few months back — from 25 to 66 de- 
grees in the space of the day and the night — and also what I told 
them of a brother nobleman, and master of hounds, on this subject. 
“ I have saved £500 a-year,” said the Duke of Cleveland, “ by not 
turning my horses out to grass in the summer.” Let me also remind 
them, and all others who may read this paper, once more of this fact. 
A horse at grass is calculated to eat upwards of 100 lbs. of food in 
the course of twenty-four hours, not one-tenth part of which is taken 
up into chyle ; and when he gets into the stable, and is put on dry 
food, his digestion is so weakened that he cannot digest his hay 
and oats. Hence inflammatory action, and, together with others, 
directed to those parts whence roaring proceeds. But in the duke’s 
stud I ventured an opinion to his groom, that the hay they eat 
may have something to do with the numerous roarers in his 
stable. His Grace having no ploughed land in his own hands, 
the immense quantity of manure made by his horses and cattle 
all goes on that which is mown, which of course makes the grass 
very succulent and rich. Then the quantity mown, being 500 
acres, the ricks are made very large (I saw none under 60 tons), 
and of course the fermentation of the herbage is proportionally 
great. Indeed, during my visit to Badmington, the hunters were 
eating hay, which, in my opinion, was only fitting for beasts 
fattening for the butcher. It was brown from heat, delicious, per- 
haps, to the palate, certainly fragrant to the nose, but undoubtedly 
creative of thirst, and consequently predisposing to inflammatory 
action throughout the whole system ; and, if so, why may not the 
trachea come in for its share ! How different was this from the 
Melton hay I When in Mr. John Moore’s stables at that place, in 
March last, I longed to send the duke’s groom a lock of the hay his 
hunters were eating. It was as bright as the best-saved wheaten 
straw ; not at all matted together, and, although perfectly sweet, 
had not the over-powering smell which heated hay from rich land 
never fails to have. In fact, health and condition appeared on the 
very face of it. 
My visit to Badmington having extended to three weeks, it is 
natural to suppose I had much talk with the duke’s head groom, 
who, having received his education, in part, at the College, is well 
