Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 8, ELE-FOR

466
FARRIERY.
Hygeio- a pit for. receiving the dung, and a gallows for the
t log.v'’ Helh. If a piece of ground adjoining to the kennel can
1,1"" v conveniently be enclofed, for keeping fuch horfes as
may be brought alive for the ufe of the hounds, it
would be of great fervice, as the diforders of condemn¬
ed horfes are not always afcertained j and an opportu¬
nity may thus be offered of invefligating their nature
and progrefs, which may prove advantageous in future
fimilar cafes. The hounds may alfo be brought into
this field, to empty themfelves after feeding; and the
draught for the next day’s hunt can be here made with
greater accuracy than when they are confined to the
kennel.
Stoves are ufed in fome kennels j but a good feeder,
and the mop properly applied, render them unneceffary.
Should ticks prove troublefome at any time, the walls of
the kennel fhould be well waflied j and if that fhould
fail to deftroy the ticks, they mull be white-wafhed
with lime.
217 When the hunting feafon is over, one kennel will be
fuflcient, and the other with the grafs-yard adjoining to
it may be allowed to the young hounds. This repara¬
tion, which fhould continue till the feafon comnaences,
is neceffary for preventing many accidents that might
otherwife happen at this time of the year. Should there
be conveniences, it will be proper to keep the dogs fe-
parate from the bitches during the fummer months.
When hounds are very riotous, the feeder may fleep in
a cot in an adjoining kennel ; if the dogs are well
chaflifed at the firfl quarrel, his voice will afterwards
* Canid's be fufficient to keep them quiet *.
Rvral
' SportSy
vol. i.
21S
Diet.
219
"Food of
horfes.
Chap. II. Of Diet.
In preferving the health of domeftic animals, much
will depend on the quantity and quality of their food,
and on the manner in which they are fupplied with it.
This fubjeft, therefore, requires fome fhare of our at¬
tention. We have already, in the article Agricul¬
ture, treated pretty much at large on the different
kinds of food that are mofl proper for horfes, fheep, and
cattle ; and have here little to add on that head. Our
principal object in this chapter will be, to confider the
beft means of difpenfing food to the different claffes of
domeftic animals, and to deferibe what are confidered
the moft beneficial methods of preparing the food in
thofe cafes where its preparation appears to be necef¬
fary.
The natural food of the horfe is the fimple herbage
of the field, and on it alone he can be conftantly kept
in a high ftate of health and vigour, fo long as he fhall
not be required to labour \ and whilft he is employed
in labour, grafs in fome form, either dried or green,
fieems abfolutely neceflary to his maintenance in a
healthy ftate. Hay, ftraw, and corn of various kinds
have been, from the earlieft time, the common food of
horfes j but in Britain, and indeed in France and Ger¬
many, during the later periods efpecially, they have re-
jefted all other fpecies of horfe corn, from a well-
grounded preference in favour of oats and beans $ the
latter for draught horfes chiefly, or as fubftantial auxi¬
liaries to the oats, imparting as flrong a nourifhment as
the conftitution of the horfe will properly bear, and at
the fame time of a cleanfing nature j and are, moreover,
H7geio.
!°gy.
. Part IV
the beft and cheapeft in-door fattening for almoft all
domeftic animals.
The fpecies of corn ufually given to horfes in many
countries is barley, the bulky provender is ftraw, both
of which in warm climates, are faid to be nearly equal
in nutriment to our oats and hay. With us, barley is
apt to fcour horfes, and make their urine red, efpecially
at its firfl; being given. Wheat is often given -to horfes
of the great upon the continent; it is faid when Philip
of Spain was in this country, his jennets were fed upon
wheat during the time of fcarcity, and this gave great
umbrage to the people.
There feems to exift no particular difference of qua.
lity between the white and the black oats, they being
equal in weight and thinnefs of hulk j thefe criteria, and
their being ftiort, are the beft marks of their goodnefs.
It is equally well known that they Ihould be fome
months old when ufed, as new oats are apt to fvvell the
belly and produce gripes.
New beans are improper for horfes, for the fame rea-Beans*
fon. The beft remedy is to dry them in a kiln. Old
beans Ihould be fplit, and given either with bran or
chaff j or the beft way would be to break them in a
mill. Mr Lawrence fed cart-horfes with beans for
nearly feven years, without experiencing any ill effe&
from fuch food ; but the horfes laboured very hard.
Beans contain more folid nourilhment than oats, but of
a lefs falubrious nature.
Grains conftantly loofen a horfe, and impoverilh his
blood ; bran fcours and weakens the entrails; both of
them are good occafional dietetic alteratives.
Carrots are faid to purify and fvveeten the blood, to Carrots,
amend the wind, and to replenilh after the waftings
occafioned by difeafe or inordinate labour. Mr Law¬
rence informs us that he has been accuftomed to ufe
them for years in all forms, and to all deferiptions of
horfes. They are either given in fpring or autumn to
high-fed horfes, as a change of diet, at the rate of one
feed per day, in lieu of a feed of corn, or as full fubfift-
ence to others. They ought to be waftied clean, and,
if large, cut into fiat and fizeable pieces. The quantity
of carrots for a feed is from half a peck to a peck.
The ufual periods of feeding with corn are in thisTiJ^of
country, morning, noon, and night. Ihe quantitiesfeedinj.
each time either a quarter or half a peck, with or with¬
out about two handfuls of beans, according to the
horfe’s ftate of body. Much greater care than is com¬
mon ought to be taken in fifting the oats clean from daft,
and the dung of mice. Water Ihould be allowed with¬
out fail twice a day. There is an error not unfrequent
among liable people, who fuppofe water to be at beft
but a kind of neceffary evil to horfes, and therefore
think it a point gained whenever they can find an op¬
portunity to abridge the quantity. But how well fo-
ever a horfe may fhift with little or no water while in
the field, and while feeding on fucculent meat, much
mifehief may enfue from its being withheld ; and this
may produce coftivenefs, gripes, inflammation of the
bowels, perpetual longing, and a danger of drinking to
excefs on every opportunity.
The well known ufe of hay is to dilate the body of Hay.
the horfe, to fatisfy his appetite with bulk and quanti¬
ty^ as corn does with compaft and folid nourilhment.
Britilh hay, the beft in the world,, contains great
nourilkment,
224