The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-05-30
FARM HORSES.
Tho Advantage of Cooking Their Food
Instead of Grinding 1t.


Instead of Grinding 1t.
A young farmer asks whether, in
view of the supposed danger of finely
ground meal packing in the horses
stomach, in the form of plastie'dough,
so as to prevent the free circulation of
the gastric juice and thus produce in
digestion and collie, it would not be
better to boil the grain, causing the
starch grains to swell and burst, rem
dering the grain soft and spongy, SO it
will not pack together in such solid
form as to prevent Incorporation of the
digesting fluid. as in the case of ground
grain.
This point is. no doubt, well taken,
If the. ground grain is to be fed I'M
mixed with cut hay or other coarse
fodder. When the grain is thoroughly
boiled, it is certainly in a more digesti-
BILE condition than when ground even
very fine, for the starch granules re-
quire heat to burst them after grind
ing, and the heat of the animal stom-
ach is not supposed to be great enough
to completely do this, so that by boiling
grain it is believed to be made digesti-
bic in larger proportion than by any
kind Of grinding.
The kernels still maintain their form
after boiling, and thus leave spaces
enough for the circulation of the gas
trio fluid; but whole grain requires
good deal of boiling to render it soft,
and very few are willing to give suffi-
Gent attention to it.
There is one point in favor of cook
ing whole grain over cooking meal in
kettles. The meal requires stirring to
prevent burning on the bottom and
sides of the kettle, while the grain does
not, as the kernels can not adhere SO
closely. as to prevent the water from
saturating the whole mass of the grain.
We have known several tests in cook
ing grain for horses that were doing
heavy work In numbering and the re-
ports were all favorable. One who
was using six teams boiled oats and
corn 1.-TWO bushels of oats to one of
CORN, and estimated that the boiled
grain was forty per cent. more effect
i've than whole grain unhoiled, and he
thought twenty per cent more nutri-
tious than ground grain, unless the
ground grain was mixed with moistened
cut hay and allowed to lie in mass until
it warmed up under incipient fermenta-
ton, and even then he thought the
boiled grain the best.
There is another point to be con-
sidered in favor of boiled grain, and
that is, its emollient and healthful eff
feet upon the stomach. After cooking,
whole grain becomes slightly laxative,
and, if fed warm, it will have very
beneficial effect upon cold. We have
known horses to be speedily cured of
sudden cold by boiled oats, fed warm.
Its effect is quite similar to warm
bran mash. Even boiled grain is bet
ter fed with its own bulk of cut hay.
This renders the masticated food more
porous and spongy in the stomach and
likely to insure more perfect digestion.
The question as to the economy of
cooking whole grain for horses where
many teams are used at some distance
from mills for grinding, is worth con-
sidering. Let us suppose that twelve
horses are to be fed for heavy work,
which would require about sixteen
pounds per horse, or hundred and
ninety-two pounds of grain per day.
The ordinary charge for grinding is ten
per cent; this is. in addition to the
cost of carrying the grain to and from
the mill. This would amount to fifty
cents per day. Now there would
usually be q stable-boy in such case,
and with common three-barrel kettle
sat in an arch the stable-boy could
cook the grain, and the only extra ex-
pense would be for the fuel 1t would
really cost less than to grind The
lumberman, whom we mention, said
he regarded boiling as cheaper than
grinding, in his situation, and that it
had kept his horses healthy and effect
i've for years, which he regarded as
ample compensation. He had not had
case of collie since he fed boiled
grain, but previous to using it he had
lost three horses with collie.
We think in many cases this prac-
tice would be quite advisable. OF
course boiled food would not be good
where horses are driven fast. 1t is
appropriate only for draft horses
driven on walk. 1t has much the
same effect upon a horse as grass,
only it is much more concentrated
and gives abundant nutriment, The
feed of hay also counteracts its loosen
ing effect.-LiUe Stock Jour4sGL.