My horses being accustomed to warm food, would have suffered much from an entire change of system, particularly the aged horses; I have therefore adopted the plan of steaming cut straw, and mixing their ground oats with it, which I find they eat with avidity. I have had too little experience to pronounce decidedly on its success; but from the trial hitherto had, it has all the appearance of answering extremely well. The failure of the potatoe crop must force conviction on the public mind, of the advantages which must necessarily result from a general adoption of my plan. Thus, food which was raised expressly for the purpose of feeding horses, may in a moment of scarcity become the support of man. How many thousands will this year participate in the benefit of it! Yet such is the infatuation of the many, that a very little matter would some years ago have induced the mob to pull down my steaming houses, and destroy my apparatus: and now, but for this plan, they would feel the most severe pressure from the want of potatoes! The cost of feeding my FARM HORSES upon my present plan will stand thus: Hay valued at 8d. per stone; Od. for cutting; straw at 2d. per stone. Should I find the horses unable to perform their work upon this food, I shall make an addition of some few pounds of oats. What price hay may rise to, should the season continue with the severity it has begun, it is difficult to say. By increasing the quantity of oats, I should have very little doubt of being able to do altogether without hay; for example, hay at 12d. per stone, and oats at 14d., I should prefer six pounds of oats, with a stone of cut straw, costing 8d. to a stone of hay at 12d. When steamed potatoes are given, the less water the horses have the better. It will naturally be expected of me, that I should not withhold from the public the result of eight years' practice of feeding horses and work-oxen with steamed potatoes. If it were in my power to add weight to my former opinions and assertions, I should be justified in declaring that every former predilection for the plan is strengthened, and I have the satisfaction of finding the 34 On the Steaming of Potatoes as a Substitute, &c. opinions of all who are concerned or conversant with this method of feeding, completely coinciding with me in favour of it. The suspension and resuming of the potatoes in the last year, in consequence of the deficient crop, afforded the most convincing evidence of the excellency of the food. As soon as the potatoes were taken from the horses they began visibly to fail; and their amendment was as apparent on returning to potatoes: I have this winter fed working oxen on steamed potatoes, mixed with an equal weight of cut straw, with a few turnips and 12lb. of uncut wheat straw. They have kept their condition, and stood their work better than they are reported to have done when fed on hay. ON |