344 
MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY. 
exceeding three quarters of a bushel, horses will stand any 
quantity of work. 
Horses are particularly fond of raw potatoes. I have 
found them prefer this to every other food ; but they have 
been found more nutritive when boiled, and they will thrive 
well upon them. We would, however, recommend their 
being mixed with the manger food, in the proportion of one 
pound of boiled potatoes to two and a half of the other 
mixture. Horses fed upon potatoes, as above recommended, 
require less water 
Swedish turnips are a tolerably nutritive food, and very 
easy of digestion. Twenty-five to thirty pounds of sliced 
turnip, to twelve pounds of bruised oats and six pounds of 
straw, forms an excellent meal for a horse. 
Nothing contributes more to the health of a horse than 
feeding regularly, and at fixed intervals. As his digestion 
is very rapid, he should be regularly fed. When kept 
long without food, the horse is apt to take his meal too 
rapidly, and by distending the stomach, produce stomach- 
staggers. 
That the food may be well ground down to prepare it for 
digestion, it must be previously moistened. The horse is 
fed in a stable on dry food. In the vicinity of the mouth 
are placed the salivary glands, destined to secrete abun¬ 
dantly a limpid fluid of a saltish taste. This fluid is 
conducted into the mouth by various ducts while the animal 
is chewing his food; and being mixed with it, assists in 
making it more easily ground and conducted into the 
stomach, and better prepared for digestion. 
Sometimes horses are afflicted with inflammation in the 
stomach from having eaten poisonous plants, although this 
is of rare occurrence. It is, however, difficult to ascertain 
whether it proceeds from the stomach or bowels ; therefore 
