The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1888-06-28
lAmerican Agriculturist.1
Care of Farm Horses.
BY M. MORGAN.

BY M. MORGAN.
The general appearance OF the farm
lorses throughout the country fur
lishes convincing proof that the great
fundamental principle, that feed and
york are to one another in inverse ra-
10, is widely ignored. Thus in severe
weather., when to work abroad Is most
to the animal system, no
change is made in the daily ration,
neither are precautionary measures
;aken when forced illness occurs. In
the term "severe weather" the ex-
tremes of heat and cold, as we'll as
that most trying phase, drenching
rains, are included. Few horse own
ers seem to be aware how dangerous
to the lives of horses are heavy rains;
a thunder shower encountered in the
course Of heavy work will cause chest
founder, rheumatism, and lung and
bronchial troubles. With these seri-
Gus dangers at hand, horse owners
would need to be cautious and we'll
provided against the results. The
winter of this year, from January l,
1888, to May, 1888, was a period of
sore trial to animal life; the weak and
the strong alike went down before its
unwonted fury. The powerful truck
horse, well cared for in city stables,
the family horse of the villager, the
rag-picker's starving cripple, the sleek
and pampered carriage horse, the high
priced trotter, and even the costly and
scientifically cared for thoroughbred,
all suffered more or less from the vis-
itation of a severe and protracted win
ter. The sole cause Of this widespread
suffering and large attendant loss was
not the dreadful weather experienced;
it was in many instances due to want
of proper care. The dweller in city
stables is exposed to foul air, arising
from overerowding until the atmos-
phere is pestilential, and his vital
forces are depressed by breathing over
heated air, laden with disease from
improper surroundings; the opposite
conditions torment the farm drudge,
whose sad life is hastened to its end
by damp stables, neisome and chill.
The care and feed Of horse whose
work is slow, should differ entirely
from the care and feed of horse re-
quired to put forth his strength in
rapid action. This difference does
not consist in neglect of the one MOI
in over-solicitude for the other. Quite
the contrary, as both animals require
treatment based on sound judgment
The slow-worked horse can with per-
feet safety be given more bulky ra-
tion than it is possible to expect q
fast-working animal to thrive upon
1t must be borne in mind by horse
owners that it is not the quantity MOI
even the quality Of a horses ration
which alone keeps him in health, rath-
er it is the quantity Of proper food
which is fully digested and then as.
simulated which sustains animal life
and insures most vigorous tone. The
losses by death have been very heavy
this year, even in farm stables, whers
the horses were not called upon to put
forth unusual exertion, but where 6
secret danger lurked in evils incident
or unusually heightened hours of idle.
| ness, and where no change in feed was
observed.
When horse stands idle his daily
ration must Immediately be reduced
in quantity and varied in substance
No grain should be fed, except spar
ingly and in a fully cooked state. The
allowance of hay should be diminish
ed, and light mashes of easy digestion
should replace the solid food held
back. Absolutely no cold water can
be allowed, as to swallow sufficient
quantity Of cold water and take nc
exercise would chill the stomach, re-
duce the normal heat Of the system
thus inducing indigestion, frequent
forerunner of collie. Water which
stands at blood-heat is always safe,
than cold water, in that it is more
readily absorbed; in hot weather it
thins and cools the blood, mixing rap
idly with it. and in cold weather 1t
does not chill the stomach. 4 com.
forting drink of oatmeal Cruel, OF OF
linseed Cruel, one pint of meal or Of
linseed to a gallon Of water, will be of
crater value to the fatigued or idle
horse, than would be a bushel of
grain. Another source of danger to
the farm horse is the practice of feed
ing roots in their raw state. Roots,
such as carrots, potatoes, ETC., given
in very small quantity, when chopped
fine and mixed with cut hay and
bruised oats, act as mild laxatives, and
with some horses give tone the stom-
ach; these roots mentioned should
never, when fed raw, be washed, as
when properly housed or pitted there
will adhere to them more or less of
the soil in which they grew. These
earthly particles are wholesome for our
domestic animals, none Of which need
this condiment more than those con-
stantly fed by hand. When on pas
ture and grazing, quite goodly share