The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-02-01
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Feeding Work Horses

The Cincinnati Gazette gives the following
account OF the way the Adams Express Com
pany feed their horses, which are always no
ticeably slick and fat: The number of horses
kept at the stable is fifty-four. Four hostlers
attend to these. Promptly at four O'Clock A.
M, the Waterman of the stable gives to each
horse eight ears Of corn. Then, about five
O'Clock, the hostlers commence their duties.
Of these under the care of each, one by one
is led to the watering trough and then to the
urinary. This consists of pit sunken ten or
twelve inches below the level of the basement
ground floor and kept filled with sawdust and
short shavings. And it is remarkable fact
that horse in this stable scarcely urinates
excepting at this place especially prepared
for him, When horses come in from their
work the harnesses are removed, and they
are then led at once to the urinary. When
a 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 to the habits of the
older inmates,
From five to seven o'clock each horse is
taken in hand and thoroughly cleaned, from
ten or fifteen minutes being spent by host
Ter upon each horse. A damp wollen cloth
is always rubbed over the coat of a horse
after being curried and brushed. This re-
moves all loose dandruff and gives that fine,
glossy, sleek appearance so noticeable in the
animals of thisstable.
The horses are fed nothing in the morning
excepting the eight ears ofcorn. After being
led back to the stalls when cleaned, these are
then ready for work. The same process of
brushing and cleaning is also gone through
with at noon and at night, at the close of
their forenoon and afternoons work. At
noon each horse is fed with half a peck of
oats. At night chopped feed is given. This
is composed of sheaf oats or rye straw passed
through straw cutter and then, when wet,
ground oats corn and bran mixed with it. A
peck and half of this is given to each horse
In addition to the chopped feed, the rack is
supplied with eight or nine pounds of bright,
sweet timothy hay, this being the total am
cunt of hay which is fed. And perhaps OF
his supply the horse will not eat more than
five pounds during the night, finishing mp
the balance during the next day.
While Mr.. Barrett is particular to give moth
ing but clean timothy hay in summer, in cold
weathdr he is willing to fed hay which is one
third cloyer. About once week peck OF
oil-cake meal is mixed up with the chopped
feed, being equal to about third of pint to
horse. This promotes the uniform good
condition of the animals. And if at any time
the urine of horse is cloudy and thickened,
tablespoonful of pulverized rosin, mixed up
with chopped iced, is given him. This acts
upon his kidneys, and the difficulty is at once
removed.
The horses are given what water they
want as they come in from theis work, unless
they are ''green," and then care is taken not
to water or feed until they are thoroughly
cool. In few weeks after becoming habit
uated to the regimen of the stables, the same
course is taken with the Slate comers." o.
course if horses come in overheated, Their
they are not watered until cooled off.
A very marked feature connected with the
stables is that the air is so sweet and fresh
And, probably, this is owing largely to the
fact that scarcely any urinating ever takes
place in the several stables.