Substitutes For Oats have been frequently sought. Many experiments have been made to ascertain how far their use might be dispensed with. Roots and bread have both been tried, and the results have shown that horses of moderate work, or even laborious work at a slow pace, can be kept in good condition on carrots or potatoes, with some fodder and no grain. The bread has been made from grain, but it does not seem to have been productive of any economy. Barley beans, peas, and wheat, are partial substitutes for oats. They may form a large portion of the grain; and in Spain barley forms the whole of it. But in this country oats are in general as cheap as any of the other kinds of grain. It has been alleged that oats contain some aromatic, invigorating property, not possessed by other articles; and it does appear that horses fed on roots to the exclusion of grain, are not so gay as grain-fed horses. But whether oats, in equal weight, give the horse more animation than other kinds of grain, is not known with certainty, although common opinion is in their favor.

Oat-Dust

Oat-Dust is a dirty, brown, useless-like powder, removed from the oat in converting it into meal. It is sometimes mixed with the boiled food. It does not appear to contain any nutriment; and it is blamed for producing balls in the bowels and obstructing them.