THE CULTIVATOR. 
171 
FOOD FOR WORK-HORSES—TREATMENT FOR 
“ HEAVES.” 
Mr. E. H. Northrup, of Shoreham, Vt., inquires 
“ What is the best mode of feeding the roadster and 
work-horse?” “Is there any cure for heaves?” 
We do not find the disease here called “ heaves,” de¬ 
scribed by that name in the English works. The diseases 
described under the terms chronic cough, thick wind, bro¬ 
ken wind, wheeze, roaring, &c., we are inclined to think 
are in this country frequently confounded under the term 
“ heaves.” They are all, in a greater or less degree, af¬ 
fections of the lungs. The best food for horses so 
affected, is that which is nutricious, rather succulent, and 
condensed into a small compass. Dry food, entirely, es¬ 
pecially a large quantity of poor or dusty hay, is very 
bad for them. Vegetables, such as potatoes, ruta-baga, 
carrots, &c. are very good. The preference is by some 
persons given to carrots, but we have tested the good ef¬ 
fects of potatoes in such cases, and would recommend 
their use where carrots cannot well be had. The horse s 
stomach should not be crowded, and he should be only 
-moderately exercised, especially soon after eating. We 
have known horses that were said to have the heaves, or 
to be broken-winded, perform a great deal of labor, with 
proper feeding and use, for several years; but a radical 
cure is not to be expected. 
In reference to the inquiry about feeding, we remark, 
that the practice of “ chaffing” or cutting the fodder and 
mixing with it the grain, (the latter in a ground s!ate,) 
is highly approved, and is every year coming to be more 
adopted. Hay and straw may be cut together, if desired, 
and if the horse is not hard worked, a great saving may 
in this way be made. 
Youatt, in his Treatise on the Horse, says—“ Chaff may 
be composed of equal quantities of clover, or meadow 
hay, and wheaten, oaten, or barley straw, cut into pieces 
of a quarter or half an inch in length, and mingled well 
together; the allowance of oats or beans, is afterwards 
added and mixed with the chaff.” 
He advises the bruising or grinding of the beans and 
oats. In this country, Indian corn might be properly 
substituted for beans. Mr. Youatt says the prejudice 
which some have evinced against bruising the oats is, 
-“ so far as the farmer's horse and the wagon-horse is 
concerned, altogether unfounded. Horses of quicker 
-draught, except they are naturally disposed to scour, 
will thrive better with bruised, than with whole oats; 
for a greater quantity of nutriment will be extracted 
■from the food, and it will always be easy to apportion the 
quantity of straw or beans to the effect of the mixtnre on 
the bowels of the horse. The principal alteration that 
should be made on the horse of harder and more rapid 
work, such as the stage-coach horse, &e., is to increase 
•the quantity of hay and diminish that of straw. Two 
trusses of hay may be cut with one of straw. * * * For 
the agricultural and cart-horse, eight pounds of oats and 
two of beans should be added to every twenty pounds of 
-chaff; and thirty-four or thirty-six pounds of the mixture 
will be sufficient for any moderate sized horse, with fair 
or even hard work. The dray and wagon-horse, may 
require forty pounds. Hay in the rack at night is sup¬ 
posed to be omitted altogether. * * * 
“ Horses are very fond of this provender. The majo¬ 
rity of them, after having been accustomed to it, will 
leave the best oats given to them alone, for the sake of 
the mingled chaff and corn. We would, however, cau¬ 
tion the farmer not to set apart too much damaged hay 
for the manufacture of the chaff. The horse may be 
thus induced to eat that which he would otherwise re¬ 
fuse; but if the nourishing property of the hay has been 
impaired, or it has acquired an injurious principle, the 
horse will either lose condition, or become diseased. 
More injury is done by the eating of damaged hay or 
musty oats than is generally imagined. There will be 
sufficient saving in the diminished cost of the provender 
by the inlronuetion of the straw, and in the improved 
-condition of the horse, without poisoning him with the 
refuse of the farm. 
“While the mixture of chaff with the corn prevents 
the com from being too rapidly devoured, and a portion 
of it swallowed whole, and therefore the stomach is not 
too loaded with that on which, as containing the most 
nutriment, its chief digestive power should be exerted, 
yet, on the whole, a great deal of time is gained by this 
mode of feeding, and more is left for rest. When a 
horse comes in wearied at the close of the day it occu¬ 
pies, after he has eaten his corn, two or three hours to 
clear his rack. On the system of manger-feeding, the 
chaff being already cut into small pieces, and the beans 
and oats bruised, he is able fully to satisfy his appetite in 
an hour and a half. Two additional hours are therefore 
devoted to rest. This is a circumstance deserving of 
much consideration even in the farmer’s stable, and of 
immense consequence to the postmaster, the s'age-coach 
proprietor, and the owner of every hard worked horse.” 
We have known several establishments where a con¬ 
siderable number of horses were kept entirely for the 
road, and fed wholly on cut hay with corn-meal mixed 
with it. A sufficient quantity of hay is thrown into a 
large trough, wetted a little, and the due proportion of 
meal mixed, and stirred well together. Corn and cob- 
meal does well. 
In answer to the question of our correspondent, “What 
food will fatten a horse quickest ?’’ we reply, good sweet 
clover hay, free from dust, cured with all the heads and 
leaves on, with boiled potatoes and meal, or instead of 
the meal boiled oats, will fatten a horse very rapidly; 
and where the object was merly to fatlen him, we would 
use this food. 
DEFECT IN POTATOES. 
At the Agricultural Meeting at the old State Hall on 
Thursday evening, April 25th, the subject for discussion 
was the defect w r bich occurred in potatoes last year. Re¬ 
marks were elicited from various gentlemen, and the 
subject seemed very much to engage the attention of all 
(present. Dr. Lee observed that the defect which was 
complained of here last year, had prevailed in parts of 
Europe for several years, and he referred to the theory 
of some writers there, that the defect was occasioned by 
the degeneracy of varieties from age. The facts brought 
out at the meeting, did not seem to support the idea that 
the defect here, could properly be attributed to that cause,* 
inasmuch as it did not appear to prevail most with the 
oldest varieties. The most hardy kinds, it seems, have 
been least affected, and the least hardy, as the Mercer* 
(or Chenango,) Foxite, &c., the most. It was nearly the 
unanimous opinion of those who spoke on the subject* 
that the unusual prevalence of the defect, (or as some 
called it “ disease,”) last year, w r as caused by the very 
warm and wet weather, following a severe and long con¬ 
tinued drouth. This idea was supported by many state¬ 
ments that potatoes which were planted on dry soil, and 
so early that they reached maturity before the great 
change alluded to in the season came on, were scarcely 
affected at all, wbereas the same varieties planted la'er 
and being in an immature state w r hen the change took 
place, were nearly wortnless when harvested, or had be¬ 
come so during the winter. 
Dr. Emmons made some remarks on the nature of the 
defect. He had taken some pains to examine it, and he 
considered it quite analagous to gangrene in animals—he 
was satisfied it was not a fungus. He should suppose it 
would render potatoes unwholesome for animals, and he 
had heard of several cases where it was believed they 
had occasioned the death of cattle; but he knew a man 
who had given them in large quantities to hogs, and had 
not yet discovered any bad consequences from it to them. 
It was the general opinion of the meeting that it is 
best to plant potatoes as early in the season as the ground 
is in suitable condition. The yield, it was thought, was 
generally better, and they were less liable to blight, or 
defect of any kind. 
Cucumbers —A writer in the London Gardener’s 
Chronicle, says he has entirely discarded the old mode oi 
allowing cucumbers to run on the surface of the ground, 
He trains them to trellises, and finds that he has not half 
the trouble with them that is required by the old plan, 
and that the plants continue much longer in bearing, 
when so treated. 
