The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-02-18

founded. The quantity of straw in the
chaff will always counteract any supposed
purgative quality in bruised oats. Horses
of quicker draught, except they are natur-
ally disposed to scOur, will thrive better
with bruised than with whole oats for a
greater quantity of nutriment will be ex-
tracted from the food, and it will always be
easy to apportion the quantity of straw
or meal to the effect of the mixture on
the bowels of the horse. The principal
alteration that should be made in the
horse Of harder and more rapid work,
such as the driving horse, and the stage
coach horse, is to increase the quantity of
hay, and diminish that of straw. Two
trusSes of hay may be cut with one of
straw.
Some gentlemen, in defiance OF the pre-
JUDGE and opposition of the coachman or
the groom, have introduced this mode of
feeding into the stables of their carriage
horses and hackneys, and with manifest
advantage. There has been no loss of
condition or power, and considerable saw
ing of provender. This system is not,
however, calculated for the hunter or the
race-horse Their food must lie in small
Ter bulk in order that the action of the
lungs may not be impeded by the disten-
ton of the stomach; yet many hunters
have gone we'll over the field who have
been manger- fed, the proportion of grain,
however, being materially increased.
For the agricultural and cart-horse,
eight pounds of oats and two of meal
should be added to every twenty pounds
of chaff. 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 in this case supposed to
be omitted altogether. The rack, how
ever, may remain, as occasionally useful
for the sick horse, or to contain tares or
other green feed.
Horses are very fond of this provender
The majority 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 grain We would, how
ever, caution the farmer not to set apart
too much damaged hay for the manufac
ture of the chaff The horse may be thus
induced to eat that which he would other
wise refuse but if the nourishing proper
ty of the hay has been impaired, OF
it has acquired an injurious principle, the
animal will either lose condition, or be-
| come diseased. Much more injury is done
by eating damaged hay or musty oats
than is generally imagined. There will
be sufficient saving in the diminished cost
of the provender by the introduction Of
the straw, and the improved condition oil
the horse, without poisoning him with the
refuse Of the farm. For old horses, and
for those with defective teeth, chaff i:
peculiarly useful, and for them the grain
should be broken down as well as the fod
der.
While the mixture of chaff with the
grain prevents it from being too rapidly
devoured and portion of it swallowed
whole, and therefore the stomach is not
too loaded with that on which, as contain
ing the most nutriment, its chief digestive
power should be exerted, yet, on the whole
great deal Of time is gained by this mode
of feeding, and more is left for rest
When horse comes in wearied at the
close of the day, it occupies, after he ha:
eaten his grain, two or three hours tC
clear his rack. On the system of manager
feeding, the chaf being already cut into
small pieces, and the corn and oats bruised
he is able fully to satisfy his appetite in az
hour and a half. Two additional hour.
are therefore devoted to rest. This is 6
circumstance deserving of much cOnsid
Grafton even in the farmers stable, and O
immense consequence to the sportsman
the stage coach proprietor, and the owner
of every hard-worked horse.-Americar
| Stock Journal.