Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-02-22

make neat. durable and not oVereX-
pensive partition The length of the |
stall should be about nine feet ten |
inches from the manger back. The
floor should slope slightly back to the
gutter. Chutes from which the hay
can be pitched from the NOW directly
into the manger are great conven-
fence and aid in keeping the barn
clean.
One or more box stalls should be pro-
vided for the use of the mares at par
turition time. They are convenient for
sick horses at any time and are almost
a necessity if stallion is kept. A
small room should be provided near
the horses in which the harness can
be hung. The ammonia from the ma
nure is very destructive to leather.
Besides this. when the harness hangs
directly behind the horses it is occa-
sionally kicked down and trampled on,
the colts get tangled in it, and 1t
causes trouble generally.
The young horses do not need an
expensive shelter. Horses stand cold
weather better than any other class Of
stock. The most they need is a good
shed with a tight roof and kept well
bedded. They can run on the pasture
in winter as well as in summer If part
of the grass has been allowed to grow
up during the fall. One of the greatest
objections to letting colts run in this
manner is the liability to wire cuts.
| Where the pasture is fenced with barb
ed wire. especially if the fence is not
] kept in first class repair at all times,
wire cuts are inevitable. The loss on
one or two colts is enough to pay for
putting good woven wire fence. like
that described in article /, around the
entire horse pasture.
Three years is usually the best age
to breed mares for the first time.
Where they are very large for their
age breeding at two years is an advan-
tage. as it broadens them out and at
the same time gives them more grace
and symmetry. In this case. however,
they should not be bred the following
year. SO that they may have an oppor-
tunity to complete their growth
1t is best to so manage the breeding
Il
| times. so that only one of the mares
will be out of use at time. The colts
should come at times of the year when
the work is slack, as far as can be ar
ranged.
Feeding.
There is no better feed for mares or
for horses of any kind than oats. In
addition to their high feeding value.
they seem to have stimulating eff
Feet. keeping the animals in better
i spirits than any other kind of feed.
Oats are usually too expensive to be
fed exclusively. however. There is
probably no better ration for draft
horses than one part bran, two parts
corn and three parts oats.
Ground barley may be used in place
of the corn. If oats are exceptionally
high two parts instead of three may
be used. A handful of oilmeal once
week in the winter will add to the
thrift of the animals. The amount OF
the grain mixture fed should vary
from one-half to one and a quarter
pounds to the hundred pounds Of live
weight per day. The first amount is
about right for idle horses. while the
latter is for animals at hard work OF
nursing a foal.
4 Do not feed too much hay to work
horses. 1t makes them paunchy and
listless. A horse has comparatively
small stomach and when at work needs
most of the room there for his grain
From three-quarters to pound Of
good clover or timothy hay or mix
turegof the two per hundredweight IL
plenty when at work. In the winter
he can use more roughage and less
grain. Never feed horses dusty hay
II or straw. .as it will ruin their wind.
!, Horses should have plenty of water
t They will stand the work q great dea
better in warm weather if they are
given water in the middle of the fore
noon and afternoon. If they are to BIZ
kept at work they may be given al
the water they want, but care should
be taken not to fill warm horse uI
with cold water and then let him stanG
and cool off rapidly.
1t is an excellent plan to have &
yard near the barn into which the
horses can be turned after they have