Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-10-20


quainted that In proportion to its bulk has
SO small stomach as the horse; for the
stomach Of an ordinary sized man Is capable
of containing three quarts of water while
that Ofan average sized horse, whose weight
in proportion to that of the man is ten to
one, will scarcely contain three gallons, or
four times that of the man, and although
the-stomaeh OF the animal has the property
of accommodating itself within certain
limits to the quantity of food it contains.
From this it is obvious that the horse re-
qulres TO be fed in limited quantities at
short intervals; the bulk and demand to
supply the natural waste of the animal re-
quire large consumption of food to keep
up andsupport the frame.
The digestive organs of the horse are
more powerful and quick than those Of most
OF our domestic animals, otherwise life
could never be sustained. The limited ca
pacity of the stomach explains the neces-
sity for using food containing the necessary
elements of nutrition in the most concen-
trated form; otherwise the organs of diges-
tion will be overtaXed, the animal suffers
in health, and is unable satisfactorily to
accomplish the labor required OF it.
Horses that are regularly at work should
be regularly fed. When the food is given
in properly prepared state, they do not
require 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 horsekeeper requires to bait them
for two or three hours. We have seen old
wagoners, who took a pride in their team,
s''"nd half the night along with them, be-
ginning to feed them as early as two o'clock
Vi d winters morning and continue till
daylight. They always begin to give the
worst food first, and in small quantities of
not more than double handful at time,
improving the quality as the appetite be-
came satiated. ft-....
The food should be properly. prepared !;
that is, all corn of whatever kind should be
bruised, and the hay or straw cut into chaff
and bruised corn should be thoroughly
mixed together with a sufficient quantity
OF water to cause their adherence; this not
only prevents waste but is more palatable,
and also assists the organs of digestion
and assimilation. r..4..s .-.r--
Horses, If sufficiently and regularly fed,
will undergo the usual routine Ofthe labor of
the farm from nine to ten hours day with
out showing any symptoms of distress yet
they should not 90 longer than six hours
without FOOD, if, as is sometimes the case,
some part of the occupation lies at some
distance from the farm yard When this is
the case much time Is lost during the short
days of winter when the horses are taken
home to bait, AT noon, If economy of time
and health of the animals are studied, nose
bags should be used and the animals baited
in the field. Four lbs, of corn mixed with
small quantity of chaff will be quite
enough, and will require only short stop
page 10 enable them to consume that guam
Jity. They will then be refreshed and fit
to resume their labOrs, and when the DAYS
work is finished will return TO the stable in
much better spirits than if they had been
worked for eight or nine hours without 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
assimilate the nutriment contained in the
lood. us s- a-r. /
In some parts of the North, cooked food,
consisting principally of potatoes, or tur-
nips, given in sloppy state, is often mixed
with wheat or oat chaff. Although horses
fed In this way often look sleek and we'll in
their coats, the great quantity of water
taken into the system is Injurious to health,
because it entails a greater amount of la
Dor on some of the organs of the body.
Cart horses often suffer from spasmodic
collie or gripes, when confined exclusively
to cut chaf and corn. During the spring
months they are peculiarly liable to.an at
tack. The symptoms are restless paving
of the ground, and sometimes striking the
belly with the hind feet The animal, II at
liberty, will be anxious to lie down and
roll on its back. CostiVeness and retention
of food in the stomach are the prevailing
cause of the malady. II neglected, inflam-
nation of the intestines soon takes place,
which generally terminates fatally. "A quart
of yeast we have tOundthe safest and best
remedy. II the first quart does not oper-
ate within six or eight hours, we generally
repeat the dose, at the same time adminis-
teriHg hot clysters composed of salt aud
water, with small quantity Of lard. The
best preventive is the tree use of bran, in
the food, or small quantity Of linseed cake
say one pound per day-wiIl be a safe
guard in all cases of colie.-Mdrk Lane Ec-
press. 1890 1870, s,tfr.-. -