194

ON THE LIVE-STOCK

of oats, or 20 bolls Linlitligow measure in the year. Whenon hay, he will require about 1 stone of 22 lbs. avoirdupois,daily, and 5 lbs. more if he does not get roots. One English acre of clover and rye-grass, and tares, may be necessary forfour months’ soiling, and a quarter of an acre of potatoes, yams,or Swedish turnips, will be required for each horse during theeight months they are fed with hay or straw. The use ofthese roots may admit of a small diminution of the quantityof corn in the winter months, or a part of it may be, as it al-most always is, of an inferior quality ; but in many cases nosuch deduction is made, and the latter circumstance has beenattended to in stating the price of the oats. The expcnce offeeding a horse throughout the year, may therefore be estima-ted as follows:

Oats , 15 quarters at 25 s. - - L. 18 15 0

Soiling, 1 acre of clover and rye-grass, and tares, 7 10 0

Hay part of October and November,—March,

April and May, 125 stones (1-J. ton) at lOd. - 5 4 2

Straw for other four months, half the price ofhay, - - - - 2 12 1

Potatoes, yams, or Swedish turnips, £ acre, 2 10 0

L.36 11 3

Supposing the land of a medium quality, the extent requiredfor a horse’s maintenance may be about five acres; that is foroats three acres, soiling one, and one more for hay and roots.On rich soils, four acres will be sufficient; but on poor soils,and wherever the horses are kept out on pasture, the pro-duce of six acres and a half, or seven acres, will be consumedby one horse, fed and worked in the manner already men-tioned. The straw of about two acres must be allowed forfodder and litter, the latter of which has not been charged,because at a distance from towns, what is allowed for littermust at any rate be converted into dung. If 60 acres shouldtherefore be assumed as the average extent of land, that may-