MARKETING DRAUGHT HORSES

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 896, 16 August 1910, Page 10

MARKETING DRAUGHT HORSES

FEEDING AND EXERCISING TESTS, i . V Just; at present-tho .breeding'' of //draught horses isl-ono of New Zca- . land's" most, interesting.. agricultural topics, and,for various reasons the subject' is one which,'is'liktily; to before, farmers in pno' form 'arid 'an'bth'er''fur i f some; ye'ars. There are, a''number of : different : opinions in. New Zealand ,re-. ,-specting the several phases of the industry, and those.for. tho present n?ed 'nqi/ibe .'dealt. : with.;V But' thero is/.onoi is juo which -is _alwaysofcparticularJSim-;: p^rtauce^the;'improvement of the'ani-', ;, mals.;,;: Whatever' bearing ' the present; , esport industry; has,.-of- will'have,--pri-•New Zealand's heavy horses of the. future, there can be no difference of opinion concerning --this:. every experiment • and evory notablo result-of ; any-stated, .- course of treatment (which lhtt-er/may; not have beeu made as a"* deliberate - experiment) should be investigated and studied carefully. 'V . _ As Professor ft. 0. Obrecht points out in a recent bulletin issued by the 11-, linois EspenmentarStation,.the kind'of caro - given 'fattening' horses ■probably' has a material effect upori'tKc :rate and' ; profit of the, gains ; but :the. success'of' / the breeder also depends largely on his/ selection of feeds. This was long realr /ised,'J but,-no definite tests were made, to expose the facts.-. Consequently when, it -was announced four years ago that a , horse-feeding 'test was/in progress at, / tho station,, keen auxiety. to.-learn', thb results was, manifested.': . '-These/'have now been published. ' . ' '. ' ■ . 'When-perusing /the account, of;:thetests' ' the 1, results, /readers;/should bear/.in mind; that/certain allowances . for difference in - tho • countries'. conditions ought to be made - : Feeding-Tests, r / In' tho first' test there-we're' three Snia . of six horses .each. ./.They : were:,stabled■ in single, stalls;')and -fed Cgrain three; times a day, as inuch as they would' •: clean lip .after taking about one/month, to get them on'full feed./ Hay was ; fed morning and night, as much as-/.,they . would eat without waste, and tliey -.- were watered three times a day. /The ,' average weight at tho start'was 13401b., .'and/they ; were, fed 8-1 days..' One ;lot. fed an average-of 17.71b. of corn, 2.41b. of bran,' and' 13.91b. of clover,hay daily; ■ per head gained an, average of 2.291b., 'daily,. A second*lot fed 8.61b.-of - cornj 8.6 of oats, 2.4 of bran, t(nd 13.61b. or closer hay gained,'2.9Blb. . per.'day. The third lot fed : B.4ib. of cbrn/8.3 orbits. ■ 2.6 of bran, and 1<1.7 of timothy gained only_"1.881b.-daily per head.. Tho bran was " fed • merely; for / its laxatiro' cilect " oil;the horses getting-timothy 'hay. To' them it was fea as a inash.": The; others needed; no' regulator, and so: we're' fed; {the.- bran dry. : During .tbe'/ lasl' four . weeks a little, pea-size' oil meal was fed ■7. to! secure :an earlier shedding; of thef hair and a'glossier coat'-by] the time, the'' test /'ended' on May ,l.' : ;Thi3 was'especii ,;.aUysneeded. ;with] the .horses . getting / timothy - hay. : , -The' amount of oil meal '. was';-.never, moru.. than 21b. .daily per //.head at ; the' last,;Vand averaged only /.li2lbV for . the -last'four.Weeks./. The total gain,per horse amounted to : 2501b.- 1 for .'those oats''-vrith'. clover, 1921b. /for/ Ihose 'getting 'corn, 1 'but-no oats; on the'samovhay,/and only ~ lsßlb. .-gain for .those getting 'corn•'andi ..■:".bats'->ltL- i 'timothy- , ,hay:v;.There/-:' , i.was-' 921b. increase in gain in ; 84; ply 'by..using wlover, instead;of; and -an increase: of' 681bbv-.using- com and alohei 1 / / / :;v'.....' '•'•'/. . vThe Prices. 1 ' • > t > It was,.noticeable, from •■thecbeginhing of tho experiment to tho close , that the •/ horses receiving ..theitimpthy? hay:-rieyeij took 'On/'tbe filled appearanco and lefr-' :. down :in .-the barrel as didVthe "horses; ;'recejving.'the clover ,hay. -./Those,/ re-; ceiving tho clover'hav . always had ./better -appetites,* : making' it easier., to keep them 'on feed, drank ' more. ,water/ -and; were in, better general thrift than -/those-; fMeivinfe-.V.timbthi'Vhay.;/. Tho / horses receiving clover.h'ay also took on a better market,-.finish.-',! tfhpse receiving the timothy hay were'not well: let down -. in_ the flank, and did not' /have - that - thick covering of flesh necessary ■to round out their bodies and make them . highly ■ appreciated on tho market. '. So far.' as .could .bo .observed;. .clover hay . was hot more injurious to the. wind' of , : the - ;horses than, -timothy A hay.' /-Tho : a-Terag© pneo of,tho horses as estimated by a committco of 'horsebuyers on the basis of a steady market was placed at £36. at the start and £45 10s. at the close, showing an average increase of £9-.105.. a-head. ■ Tire increase in- price' / was., largest 'for.v'.the "'horses, . eating closer hay. : ..-As they also made-large , gams, ... tho.;, value ...of. each -impound-.,-,.- of, ■ grain , was-not so greatly different, and ;. averaged ; Is. -2d; /forraU/'the' , 'hqrsesisn ; ' the'; te&..;;;The; cost;;of : ; each "'pound a'fi // gain ,was-,i'4Jd./;;where'' , cbrn' : and' ci()ver : hay were fed, 4d. for corn, oatß,- arid clover, and 6Jd. for com, oats, and ~ timothy. ; The ■■■ largest. profit was obtailed 'from -the ration ~ giving the ' cheapest gains, and the profit was least , wliero'.t-h© cost of. gains was high. An Exerolse Test. . ' .'V'/ { • Tho.second test was begun in Octobei, 1906,.and the, horses this time, were fid 112 ,days.. . There were four .lotsi'of .six /'horisesteach, and they were stabled and, . managed as in the first test, except that 1 ' - in' each lot half the horsea had boxstalls.and two ,w;ere given a daily walk / -of /two V.and eight-tenths miles for. tho -first-84 days../Sp far as it was possible / to . observe, the horses' not having the . .exercise .remained" in. as good health,as* . those,, getting the-, daily walk, and tHey ' made-ajdaily gain of 2.491b.', while thoso . getting-exorcise gained only 21b. a day.