The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-02-17
From the Genesee Farmer.
On the Most Economical Way of Win
tering Horses.


On the Most Economical Way of Win
tering Horses.
In responce to your call upon this
subject, offer the following sugges-
tons as the confirmation of expert
ence.
The quantity of food which any an
imal consumes and seems to require, is
no doubt, to great extent, the result
Of habit. This no one will question
with reference to man; and, if true in
one part of the animal economy, may
it not be so throughout the whole? 1t
is my belief that horse or an OK, fed
irregularly and with promiscuous guam
tities-all he will dispose of, leafs
more than nature requires and more
than she can properly appropriate.
The overplus is rejected and thown off
by prostrating and facilitating effort
of the system, and is worse wasted-is
actually pernicious. Enough, is the
point to be sought in the supply of food
to any and all animals. Regularity,
also, as to time, quality and condition
of that food. Frequent changes of
feed are to be avoided.
Cut feed, so called, / regard as best
adapted to housekeeping, both us re-
CARDS economy and the wants of the
animal OF course, the amount and
quality must be modified by circum-
stances. The age, size, condition,
former keeping and present use of the
animal, must be considered, in deter
mining how much or how little is re-
quired to keep the beast in good con-
dition. If horse is to labor, he needs
more sustenance than if he stands idle,
though not so much more as is some
times supposed. A man in health re-
1uires and uses about the same quaint
of food, whether he works or plays,
and this principle guides me in the care
of my horse. The-q quantity and quail
ty, whether he works or not, given Mt
about the same time each day, keeps
him always in condition for any service
required, besides conducting to his
health and soundness. At this time, l
am keeping eleven hundred horses on
three bushels cut hay and nine quarts
of shorts daily, wet and put before him
at regular Notwithstanding, noon,
and night.-and though he is used con-
siderably and for various purposes, he
gains in condition constantly.
This method / have tried with a
number of horses, in the last fifteen
years, with the same satisfactory re-
suits. / once kept nine hundred
horse three months on ten hundred
pounds of hay and five bushels of corn
meal, given cut, wet, and mixed, and
found him some pounds heavier at the
end than at the beginning of the time.
Carrots, given once each day, in
stead of the meal, have found salts
factory; and my impression is, that this
root is not properly valued as food for
horses, and perhaps cattle also.
In my opinion, if the regimen above
suggested were to be adopted generally
by horse-keepers, We should have fewer
horses affected with heaves and other
wise defective. Over feeding with dry
hay is more frequently the cause of
heaves than all other causes combined.
But it is objected that it is too much
work thus to prepare food for horses.
With such directors / have no argu-
ment or patience to waste. A person
of properly regulated habits always
finds time and willingness to do what
ought to be done, while laziness never
wants an excuse for negligence.
E. INGHAM.