Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-11-18
Scientifically Planned Rations That In
clude All the Necessary Elements.

clude All the Necessary Elements.
Mr.. Robert Bonner said that he al
ways could do anything with the size
of colts by the feed that he gave them.
Plenty of feed and of the proper kind,
given so that the baby would never stop
growing, and the breeder will have a
horse of perfect development. with iron
bone and muscles of steel
The sensible plan in feeding any ami
NAL is to find ont just what old Dame
Nature has given it 20 sustain life, and
by following that article as nearly as
possible secure the proper growth. In
mares milk we find 9.95 per cent of
food (dry matter), and of this the food
respiration and fat production (butter
and milk sugar. amount to 600 per
cent This leaves the casein or muscle
forming element 3. 40 per cent, or more
than one-third of the entire quantity.
The colt thus receives in his mothers
milk little more than one of nitroge
nous to two of carbonaceous elements, or
a proportion of one of muscle forming
to two of fat forming elements This
says emphatically that the colt requires
food rich in muscle forming elements,
and that it is a great mistake to use
foods rich in starch, such as corn or
even barley, for the young colt Corn is
not proper food for colts, as it is not
only too starchy, but it is deficient in
lime and phosphoric acid It is well
Known fact that bone is made up of
phosphate of lime. Horses may look all
right when they are raised on an ex-
elusive diet of corn, but any one who
uses such animals will tell that they
are subject to all the diseases of the
joints, as spavins, ringbones, splints,
etc.
Bran should be fed literally to colts
as soon as they can digest it. A mixture
of corn, oats and bran will supply lime
and phosphoric acid with the nitrogen
required for making muscle as well as
the starch and fat for vital heat Two
pounds of linseed meal given through
the week will serve to regulate the bow
els and aid the skin to throw off the
waste matter of the system. Strange as
with its thousands of small openings,
or pores as they are called, through the
perspiration gets rid of more waste
matter than the bowels.
In the conditioning of horses this is a
most important matter and too often
overlooked by the trainer. If the skin is
not in good condition, the kidneys have
double work to do, and if this is con-
tinued for any length of time the breed
er will find that he has a permanently
injured animal. Too much Importance
cannot be attached to this most material
part of the economy of animal life. Oily
food has direct action on the pores of
the skin and keeps them open so that
the perspiration can escape without any
trouble or in any way conflicting with
the work of the rest of the organs. On
the other hand, if the bowels are not
carefully looked after, it will be found
that the skin is shouldering the most of
the work, and trouble is bound to come.
Linseed oil for medicine when it is
absolutely necessary and the meal fo1
food cannot be praised too highly | do
not believe much in medicine that is
given by grooms or by the ordinary man
who owns horse. If it becomes neces-
sary to give medicine, call in veteri-
marian and do as he directs. The schools
are now sending out men who know
their business. See that all get what
they will eat with relish, and above all
things see that there is plenty of the
best water for the youngsters. This is
an item that is all too often overlooked,
but is, was almost tempted to say, the
most important consideration in all
stock raising. Certainly without it sue
cess of even moderate kind with the
best of blood and individuality is out
of the question. Have the earth around
the edge of the well packed SO that no
surface water can by any possible means
get in and then with a drain from the
trough so that there will be no sloppy
hole under it the outside is in good
condition j. Riddick in Country
Gentleman