The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-09-05
VARIETY IN FEEDING HORSES.

One OF the cOmmOneSt faults IN
feeding horses is the lack of variety
in feed. Considering the number OF
different grains and feed stuffs it does
seem strange that every team owner
should not provide for his animals
ration that would be perfectly &C.
ceptable to its system at all times.
1t is fact, however, that no more
than 20 per cent. feed what may be
termed well5alanced ration.
The other 80 per cent. still cling
to the old ration Of corn and hay, or
oats and hay, which practical expert
ments have long since proved to be
expensive and wasteful. When 1t
comes to feeding your horses just
think Of your own appetite. Suppos-
ing you were performing hard work.
manual labor, how long would you
be content TO eat two articles of food.
the same thing for every meal, day
after day? It Is pretty safe to say
that you would tire Of your ration
in a very short time.
A bad digestion and poorly nour-
ished body are always the result of
improperly balanced food When such
a condition exists in either man or
horse. the best physical effort cannot
be expected; it is impossible No
one or two articles of feed will sup
ply to your horses all the elements
OF nutrition that their system needs.
II you want the best results, feed a
ration that contains all the elements
OF nutrition in properly balanced por-
tions. Corn alone is not a we'll bal
anced grain for feeding, neither Is
oats or barley.
OF the three grains. oats is proba.
bly, fed more extensively than either
corn or barley combined. Barley is
rapidly gaining favor as a feed, how
ever. and when properly combined
with the other grains makes an ideal
ration.
We cannot emphasize too strongly
the necessity for grinding the grain
part II the ration. The horse owner
who fails to do this loses twenty-five
to fifty per cent. OF the nutritive
value. The hard outer covering OF
the grain makes 1t dimcult to digest,
and a very large proportion passes
through the stomach of the animal in
an undigested condition. An examina.
ton OF the feeds will show the whole
grain and prove the truth Of this
statement. When you feed a ground
ration you prepare 1t for quick diges-
tion. Your animals utilize 1t more
readily and there is practically no,
waste. It should be remembered that
the horse digests its food quickly, and
whatever ration you feed should be
prepared with q view to supply the
nutrition the horse needs. Your
horses Will work better and keep in
better condition on 1--WE or six quarts
OF ground mixed seed than they will
on eight quarts Of whole grain.
Feed a variety of grains properly
balanced, and have it well ground
and you will not only have better
horses, but it will cost you less money
10 obtain this much desired result.
4 Notwithstanding all that has been
said, 1t is not likely that these mat
tiers will be looked after unless a
man loves his horses and enjoys car.
ing for them. 1t may not be thought
practicable to apply the Golden Rule
In handling horses, but If it were
possible all other rules could be laid
aside. There would. be NO danger of
horses going hungry or without suf-
ficient water. they would not be clip
ped and left to stand in cold wind
without being covered. the barn would
be kept clean. they would not be over.
worked or over-driven and the humane
Ohicers could go out of business.
When man is educated to look on the
horse as fellow creature, and treats
him accordingly the question of how
the horse should be treated will
be settled. The principal thing
10 love. Where 1t reigns we
need not worry about details, they
will take care Of themselves. Love
solves all problems.-J. p. F., in the
American CuNivator.
NOTES FOR THE FARMER.
Which is cheaper in the long run.
TO keep an edge on our tools or on
our tempers?
Let the horse eat all the dirt he
wants. It 10 good for him. Occa-
sdonally throw q chunk OF turf into
his box.
This 10 the day Of the specialist.
and the specialist Is only some one
who has learned to do something bet
ter than the average run OF people
engaged in similar work.
Abundance OF pure air and pure
water are cheap and essential parts