ntilator to carry off the heat while the stack is
fermenting. If this is not done, there is danger of its catching fire; and
even if it should not heat to such a degree, part is likely to get
discoloured--what is termed "mow-burned." This chimney can be made with
bundles of sticks, boards, or even stones; but sick horses will often eat
the straw from the centre of a haystack when they won't look at anything
else, and it sometimes comes in useful, and in any event, is not wasted.
The stack should be built on a foundation of brambles, stones, or a mud
platform--the latter being the best--to raise it and protect it from
damage by the rains, which at times come in a regular flood, and also to
keep out rats, mice, and other vermin. When the stack gets down to the
bottom, care should be exercised in handling it, as it is a great refuge
for snakes, and I have seen one fatal accident from snake bite from this
cause. It, then, is a good plan to make the men remove the hay in small
quantities at a time with a hay-fork, which is easily made by fastening a
couple of short sticks converging from each other on to a long bamboo;
but natives are such fatalists that, no matter how much warned of the
danger they are incurring, they will not take the commonest precautions as
to their safety if it gives them a little extra trouble. A somewhat larger
quantity of dry grass is required than green "dhoob" by weight, the
proportion being about 15 to 20 lbs. respectively.

Green Food (_khawid_, or _khasil_).

In the spring of the year in India it is common to give horses green
wheat, oats, or barley. This is cut in the straw from the time it is about
a foot high until the grain begins to ripen, a period that lasts about a
month or six weeks in the Punjab--from the middle of February till the end
of March. This green food is called by the natives "khawid," or "khasil."
It has an excellent effect on the system, and is what is used by the
native dealers to get their horses into condition for sale. Too large a
quantity should not be given at first, as it is likely to cause
diarrhoea; about 4 lbs. daily being sufficient at first, but it may be
increased up to double this amount if it agrees with the animal. Care
should be taken that the green food is only given when young and the straw
tender, for when it gets ripe, and the straw woody and hard, it is very
indigestible, and a common cause of intestinal obstruction and colic. In
some parts green bar