nine," more applies to. On the other hand, horse
owners are inclined to get very anxious without cause about horses not
feeding, and to imagine that because he refuses to feed, or does not
finish it up with a good appetite, that the animal is in a dangerous
state. Horses are much like ourselves, and we all know that we sometimes
do not feel inclined to do justice to a "square" meal, and that if we dine
off a plate of soup we feel ready for a good breakfast in the morning. If
the horse refuses his feed, or only plays about with it, have it at once
removed; at the next only give him a little hay or grass, and the
probabilities are that at the next he will eat up his grain with a hearty
appetite. If he does not, then the sooner professional advice is called in
the better, as you may be certain that something is wrong.

Damaged Food.

Damaged, mouldy, or sour food, the horse, of course, will not eat unless
he is very hungry, and then only sufficient to stay his appetite. Damaged
grain there is no excuse for, and can only be given through carelessness
or indifference on the part of the owner or his servants. Sour food, or
food that has fermented, is, with the best intentions, likely to be placed
before the animal, as it is surprising how soon fermentation will set up
in damp grain in a hot climate. The food should not be damped more than
twenty minutes or half an hour at the most before it is given, and a dirty
bucket will easily contaminate it. In the hot weather in India,
particularly during the rains, when both man and beast are down below par,
very little will put both off their feed. If the food, however, is at all
sour it ought to be at once detected, as the smell is unmistakable.

Irregular Teeth.

In old horses the back teeth get irregular and worn in such a fashion that
the food cannot be masticated and crushed, and is not then properly
digested. The upper jaw of the horse is wider than the lower one, so that
the upper teeth overlap the lower ones at the outside, and the lower ones
the upper at the inside. By continually wearing, the upper back teeth get
worn down more on the inside than the outside, and the lower ones more on
the outside than the inside, or, in other words, the grinding surface of
the teeth, instead of being horizontal, is at an angle or slope. The horse
masticates his food with a sideways motion of the jaws, crushing the food
between the back teeth like mill-stones, so that if the grinding s