The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-12-26 00:00:00

upon Lord,
nyour to in-
' tlp, amount

of live

the liorr
alit of the

th&t

_
ebsisfideeseatines-elamilkfibe-;elfeeted by means of the
officers of the Inland Revenue, and forms are furnished
for the farmers to ell up.

I stipply

WORKING AND MANAGEMENT OF FARM
HORSES. •
There is no animal with which we are acquainted
that in proportion to its bulk hue so small a 4oluach se
the horse; for the stomach of an ordinary sized man is
capable of containing three quarts of water, whilat Ouse
of an averaged &red hone, whose weight in proportion to that of the man is as ten to one will scarcely contaio
three gallons or four times the quantity of that of the
man, and although the stomach of the animal has the
property of aotommodating itself within certain
to the quantity of food it contains. From this it la
obvious that the horse requires to be fed in Ihnited
quantities at short intervals; the bulk and demaed to
supply the natural waste of the animal require • 'aro
consumption of food to keep up end support the fr „
The diaestive organs of the horse are more powerfa
and quick than those of most of our domesticated
animals, otherwise life could never be sustained. Ike
touted capacity of the stomach explains the nasality
for using food containing the necessary elements of
nutrition in the most concentrated I. era j otherwise the, organs of digestion are over-tasted, the animal suffers.
in health, arid is unab e satisfaitordy ho oceomphih the
labour required of it. Horses that are regularly at
work alauuld be regularly fed. When the food is given
iu a properly prepared state they do not retpiire so long
a time as many imagine to satisfy their wants; it is
only when the food is unprepared and of inferior
quality that the horselceeper requires to bait them for
two or three hours. We have seen old waggoners who took a pride in their team spend half
the night along with them, beginning to feed them as
early as two o'clock of a winter's morning aid continue
till daylight. They always began to give the worst
food first and in small quantities of not more than •
double-handful at a time, improving the quantity aa
the appetite became satiated. The food should be
properly prepared; that is, all corn of whatever kind
should be bruised and the hay or straw cut illko chaff;
the chaff and bruised corn should be thoroughly mixed
together with a sufficient quantity of water to came
their adherence; this not only prevents waste but ia
more palatable, and also masts the organs of digestion
and as imitation. Horses, if imfficieritly and regularly
fed will undergo the usual routine of tine labour of the
farm from 9to 10 hours a-day without showing any
symptoms of distress; yet they should not go longer
than six hours without food, if, as is sometimes the
aa.m s .me part of the occupation lies at some distance
from the farmyard. When this is the case much tins,
is lost during the short days of winter when the horses
are taken home to bait. At noon if economy of time
I and the health of the animals are studied, 008.9 bags
should be used and the animals baited in the field.
4lbs. of corn mixed with a small quan ity of chaff will
be quite enough and will only require a short stoppage
to enable them to consume that quantity. They will
then be r hatted and fit to resume their labours, and
when the day's work is finished will return to the stable
in much better spirits than if they had been worked for
eight or nine hours without either food or water, iii
this case they return jaded and faint, often refusing their
food, or in some cases devouring it rapidly to the Injury
of their health, or the digestive organs fail to assist.,
late the nutriment contained in the food. In some
parte of the north, cooked food, consisting principally
of potatoes, swedes or turnips, given in a sloppy state,
is often mixed with wheat or oat chaff. Althoueb
horses fed in this way often look sleek and well in their
costs, the grew quantity of water taken into the system,
is injurious to health, because it entails a greater
amount of labour on some of the orgies of the body.
Cart horses often suffer from spasmodic colic or
griper, when confined exclusively to cut chaff and corn.
Daring the spring months they are particularly liable,
to an attack. The symptoms are a restless pawing of
the ground, and sometimes striking the belly with the,
hind feet. The animal, if at liberty, will be anxious to
lie down and roll on it. back. Costiveness and reten-
tion of food in the stomach, are the prevailing cause of
the malady. If neglected, inflammation of the intes-
tines soon t•kes place which generally terminates
tatally. A. quart of 'fresh yeast we have found
the safest and best remedy. If the first
quart does not operate within six or eight hours
we generally repeat the dose, at the same time adminis-
tering hot clyeters composed of salt and water with a
mail quantity of lad. The best preventative is the
free use of bran in the food or a small quantity of linseed
cake—say one pound per day—will be a safeguard ins I
eases of colic. We have found the oolio drinks prepari a
by Day, Son and Hewitt, of London, act an an iiwalu.
able remedy, and would strongly recommend all' who
keep homes not to be without • supply.—Mork ,n.
Express, of Dec. 11, 1865.