Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-12-05
Feeding Horses.

Since the establishment of agrlcul-
tural experiment stations the feeding Of
live stock has resulted in the compound
ing of balanced rations for all classes
of animals, says the Drovers' Journal.
The dependence of the prosperity OF
many Of the great industries is based
ON the use of horses, and the mainte-
nance of these animals in good work
ing condition has resulted in widely
extended feeding operations.
As will be discovered, different guam
titles of the same kind of grain and
hay enter the balanced ration of the
different experiment stations. The
fact that one particular ration is not
universally adopted as the standard
feed for work horses at work, or in the
pens undergoing the grand finishing
preparation fer market demonstrates a
wide difference in the individual tenn
permanent and assimilating ability Of
horses. There Is a personality in each
horse that must be understood and ca
tered to in the maintenance of high
condition when at work or during the
fattening process.
Great corporations that employ n
multitude Of horses in conducting their
business reduce their feeding opera
lions to a system of so much grain
and so many pounds Of hay per hun
dredweight of the animal. But there
is no uniformity even among the large
feeding stables. The Virginia Express
Company feeds 4.67 pounds of corn,
5.4 pounds of oats, 8 pound Of bran,
4.18 pounds of cornmeal and 10 pounds
Of hay per 1000 pounds Of weight per
day The Jersey City Express Com
pany feeds it's horses 21.25 pounds Of
alfalfa, 80 pounds of corn, 10 pounds
Of oats, 1.15 pounds OF bran and 9.5
pounds Of hay per 1000 weight per day.
The Boston Express Company feeds its
horses II pounds OF corn, 5.25 pounds
Of oats and 20 pounds Of hay. The
United States army feeds per 1000
pounds Of live weight its cavalry and
artillery horses ~ pounds of oats and
IA pounds Of hay, and its mules o
pounds Of oats and IA pounds Of hay.
The Utah Experiment Station feeds its
farm horses % pounds Of alfalfa and
10 pounds Of bran or 22.S pounds Of
timothy and 10 pounds of bran. The
Wyoming Experiment Station feeds
1875 pounds Of alfalfa and 22j pounds
of straw per day. In Omaha, Neb., -
pounds Of oats and u pounds Of hay
t., h. r,@o a,.1 n
horse At Chicago the large companies
feed rs pounds Of oats and 20 pounds
of hay for a draft horse ration. At
the Iowa Experiment Station a bal
anced ration is compounded In the pro-
portion Of l pound Of hay and 1 pound
of grain per 100 pounds Of live weight
of the horses used in the experiment
work.
The ration of maintenance In the
above cases varies from the Wyoming
combination Of 1875 pounds Of alfalfa
and 225 pounds Of straw per day to
the Iowa Experiment Station ration of
Is pounds Of grain and Is pounds Of
hay for 1,500-pound draft animal.
If horses can be maintained in good
condition at work on such a widely
different ration, 1t demonstrates wide
difference in the nutrition NECESSARY
to maintain horses in different locali-
ties The wide variation in the ration
of maintenance practically compels ev-
cry owner Of horses to conduct his
feeding operations according to the in
diyiduality and assimilating ability of
each horse In his stable. Some AMI
mails require more grain than others
and an actual test will soon determine
the proper amount of both grain and
rorghage requisite for each animal to
maintain it in good condition or to fat
ten 1t for the market.