The Washington times., 1901-10-13

But horse has a large stomach, and. as
nay merchant observed, cant live on
pills, however strony they are Besides
the brick of compressed fodder the ami
NAL requires something more bulky. The
hay brick serves we'll enough to tide over
emergencies on long march, but as the
daily bread of, horse on campaign II
is not satisfying or satisfactory. In fact.
II is practically in the same case as the
emergency ration. 1t Thomas Atkins
were asked to live on emergency rations
Tor SIX months, he would certainly grum-
bic, and very possibly fall sick; but the
ration can keep him alive for a day or
two very satisfactorily. So it is with the
hay brick.
OF course, all the hay sent to South At
rica Is compressed and some idea of the
extent to which such a process has been
used may be gathered from a few figures
The space ordinarily allowed for a ton in
ships hold is 40 cubic feet. A ton of
meadow hay occupies 2Oo Canadian hay,
of which very large quantities have been
sent to South Africa. is pressed until a
ton of it may be got into some 1S0 cubic
feet. 1t is possible, under increased pres
sure, to reduce this space to so or 60 feet.
But the process of compression, when car
ried SO far as this spoils the quality of
the hay. The hay-brick requires special
method of manufacture. mixture is
made of bran, oats and hay. The result
ant compound is then pressed until 80 Gu
bic feet contain a ton of it. So far as this
| the method has no very striking origt-
nality- Compressed food of any kind can,
it is clear be more easily utilized If it is
divided into many small and easily port
| able packages than if it forms one great
| mass. In order to turn the mixture into
bricks portion is placed between two
iron plates. Pressure is imposed to the
requisite degree. Clamps are then bound
round the plates, and they are removed
from the press. A brick which had to be
carried about between two clamped bits
of sheet iron would give more trouble
than ordinary fodder. On the other hand,
some means must be found of restraining
the inherent elasticity of the hay. 1t
| was discovered that the difficulty might
| be overcome by heat.
A truck load of hay-tricks. each still
| between its clamps. is run into an oven.
| After being raised to a moderate heat the
| truck is withdrawn, the clamps removed,
and the bricks stand ready to be trans
ported to the Soudan or the Transvaal,
or any place where one OF the Empire
| little wars happen to be raging. After be-
| ing tried in the fire the brick weighs six
or eight pounds and measures some nine
| inches by four
1t has been claimed that this idea of
portable fodder for horses is a recent
American invention. AS to that It can
| only be said that whatever America may
| nave invented recently. emergency rations
| Tor horses are no new thing for England.
| They were being made at Portsmouth
eight or nine years ago, and, as has been
| said, they were used in the Soudan cam
| paiSn. To the beautiful vision conjured
| up by an American journalist of a light
hearted horse galloping over the veldt
| with food for month on his back no Sc
rious answer is needed. No doubt Lord
| Kitchener would be glad to see this horse
| and the lozenge which he loves so well.
| The food specialist proposes, but the ami
mal-hcres or man-disposes and 1t is of
| no avail to tell Tommy or his steed that
| he ought to live for a month on lozenge
| or brick, If Tommy and Tommy's steed
| alike incontinently die. If any one wants
| horse TO carry food for weeks on its
back he must invent the horse as well as
the food-London Telegraph.