LIGHT ON HORSE-FEEDING

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1330, 6 January 1912, Page 8

LIGHT ON HORSE-FEEDING

WHAT EXPERIMENTS HAVE PROVED. Half the mortality amongst horses, it has been, stated, occurs through gastroenteric troubles. Too large quantities of food, feeding at irregular intervals and on food of improper character or bad quality, aro mostly to blame. _ In most cases the feeding of the team is' left to the teamster who, although he may be thoroughly well-meaning, dees not as a rule know much, if anything about tho physiology of the animal he has to deal with or of tho functions of digestion and nutrition. His desiro is generally to havo the horses fat and he appears to think that when tho horses aro not working they should bo feeding. Some interesting feeding experiments havo just been completed at tho Illinois Experiment Station, which had for their object a comparison of clover and timothy hay for farm horses at work, the effect of mixing ground grain with chaffed clover hay; comparison of alfalfa hay with clover and with timothy hay, respectively'; comparison of corn and alfalfa hay with <1. mixture of corn, oats, bran, oil meal, timothy and alfalfa hay; effect of grinding corn and oats when foil with wheat bran, timothy and alfalfa hay. The experiments were conducted by R. C. Obrecht, Assistant-Chief in Horso Husbandry. The conclusions rmched were as follow; 1 Where a mixed grain ration of corn, oats, oil meal and bran is fed, clover hay is equally as efficient if not a little superior to timothy for horses at hard work. There was no observable difference in the effect of clover and timothy upon the spirit of the horses or their ability to endure hot weather. Those receiving clover had a glossier coat of hair anil their bowels were looser, but not too loose to endure hard work.

Clover Feeding. When clover is used as a horse feed, tho quality should be good and tho quantity fed limited. A slight saving in grain may bo made by mingling it with chaffed hay, but the saving in this test did not appear to bo enough to justify tho expense. There may be a benelit not shown in tlieso tests, in preserving tho horse's health, by mingling the grain with chaffed hay. The results of this test are not conclusive on this point. Where the grain was ground and mingled with chaffed clover and with chaffed alfalfa, tho latter proved to be fi little more efficient in preventing loss in weight of horses at hard work. The mingling of grain with chaffed timothy hay did not prove satisfactory. Alfalfa Saved 22 Per Cent Grain. Where alfalfa.hay is fed as tho roughage part of a ration for farm horses at hard work, less grain is necessary to prevent them from losing weight than where timothy hay is fed. In this test there was a saving of about 22 per cent of grain. Though too short to be conclusive these tests indicate that mature horses at hard work can bo maintained quite satisfactorily for a short time, at least, on corn fed in conjunction with alfalfa hay, and at a saying in cost. A saving of about 10 per cent may be made by grinding the grain for farm work horses when at hard labour. It requires twice as long for horses to consume ground grain fed drv, as when the same quantity is fed 'thoroughly (tamponed. I'arm work horses nt hard labour should receive from 11-5 to 1 1-311). of grain, and from 1 to ljlb. of hay, per ]0(llb. of live weight a day, in order that their weight may bq maintained. Satisfactory results have been secured by feeding tho grain in three equal feedand giving one-half the hay at night, the other half being divided between tho morning and noon feeds. Feed For Idle Days, Till? grain fed should be reduced onehalf on idle days until four days havo elapsed, or until they are again put to work, when it may bo again incrensed if desirable. By following this method attacks of azoturia were prevented. The results of the experiment indicate that- the general impression is correct that horses may yen- properly be given a more bulky ration when idle or doing light work than when at heavy, work. On the active list, of the British Army, Gunner Samuel Parsons, of Windsor, is the oldest soldier, being 87 years of ago. Of that popular seaside sweetmeat known as "rock," ninety tons were sold at Southend during the summer months. Wills of living persons may be deposited at Somerset House, but once lodged will only be given up to the testator personally. Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, for Coughs and Colds, never fails. Is. 6d.i