FEEDING FOR BONE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2016, 25 March 1914, Page 10

FEEDING FOR BONE.

Although the importance of dense iiard-.bone, with its accompaniment' ol strong tendon attachments, has been recognised by horse-breeders from early times, it ha 3 remained for pig-breeders to demonstrate the possibility of feeding so as directly to add strength to the bones of the growing animal. It'has been separately 'demonstrated at the Wisconsin-and Nebraska experiment station in the United States that bone meal and other mineral-supplying feeds given to maize-fed pigs produced a great increase in, the strength of the bones. In some cases the strength was more than doubled by adding suitable mineral matter to the ration. .

These, results suggest, that .horsebreeders, may profit by the same plan of feeding; The grasses and hay of certain districts underlaid with limestone aro regarded as especially suited to the development of good bone, and -horses off these lands have been valued accordingly. The low-lying lands, ; ,with their luscious growth-forcing grasses, are often less abundantly supplied. with bone-forming materials, and tho horses raised on them aro handicapped/with the stigma of soft bone.

The success in strengthening the,bone by feeding pigs for that especial object may reasonably bo expected to follow with horses. There is at least no.damago tc- bo, feared from ■ a moderate increase- in the bone-forming substances supplied to the growing colt, eo that tho prospect of increased strength of -bone should encourage experimentation alonjr this line. If this plan works as well with horses as with pigs it will bo a groat boon, especially to draught liorse production, where rapid growth is necessary to securo size, and the colts seem especially liablo to suffer from any shortage in the mineral supply.