Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-01-27
FEEDING WORK HORSES.

The Cincinnati Gazette gives the FOL-
lowing account Of the way Adams Elk.
press Company feed their horses, which
are always not.ceab;y sleek and fat:
The number of horses kept at the
stable is flty.four. Four hostlers at
tend to these. Promptly at o'clock a.
m. the Waterman at the stable gives to
each horse four ears of corn. Then, about
o'clock, the hostlcrs commence their
duties. Of those under the care of each,
one by one is led to the watering trough
and then to the urinary. This consists
of a pit sunken ten or twelve inches be.
low the level of the basement ground floor
and kept completely filled with sawdust
and short shavings: And it is remark
able fact that a horse in the stable
scarcely urinates except at this place,
especially prepared for him. When
horses come in from their work the har.
ness is removed, and they are then led at
once to the urinary. When fresh or green
horse comes to the stable, by being driven
with some old "stager" that knows the
rules of the stable, the new conner soon
learns to conform the habits of the older
inmates.
From S to 7 o'clock each horse is taken
in hand and thoroughly curried brushed,
and cleaned, from ten to fifteen minutes
being spent by hostler upon each horse
being spent by hostler upon each horse
A damp WOODEN cloth is always rubbed
over the coat of horse after being cur
ried and brushed. This serves to re-
move oil loose dandruf and to give that
fine. glossy, sleek appearance so noticca
BILE in the animals of this stable.
The horses are fed nothing in the morn
ing excepting eight ears Of corn. After
being led back to the stalls when clean
ed, they are then ready for work. Th'
same process Of currying, brushing, ant
cleaning is also gone through with and a
noon each horse is fed with half peel
Of oats. At night chopped feed is given
This is composed of sheaf oats or ry
straw passed through a cutter, and then
when vet, ground oats, corn and bral
mixed up with it. A peck and half o
this is given to each horse. In addition
to the chopped feed the rack is supplied
with eight or nine pounds Of brigh
sweet timothy hay, this being the tots
amount of hay which is fed. And pc,
haps of this supply the horse will nc
eat more than five pounds during tn
night. finishing up the balance durin
F.! he day.
While Mr.. Barrett is particular t
give nothing but clean timothy hay i
summer. in cold weather he is willing t
! feed hay which is one-third clover. Abou
once a week a peck of oil.cake meal
mixed up with the chopped feed, bein
equal to about third ola pint to a horse
This promotes the uniform good coDdi
ton of the animals. And if 1T any tim
the urine Of horse is cloudy and thick
ened, . teaspsoonful of pulverized resi-
mixed up with chopped feed is given him
This acts upon his kidneys, and the diff
ficulty is at once removed.
The horses are given what water they
want as they come in from work, unless
they are SCREEN" and then care is taker
not to water or feed until they
arc thoroughly cool. In few weeks
after becoming habituated to the regi
men Of the stables, the same course i!
taken with the ''late comers," Ofcourse
if horses come in overheated. then they
are not watered until cooled of.
! A very marked feature connected will
the stables is that the air is SO sweet ant
fresh. And probably this is owing large
~ to the fact that scarcely any urinatin,
ever takes place in the several stables
and that the saturated sawdust ant
shavings in the urinary itself are removed
from the stables every third day.