rom impurities such as
sticks, thorns, or pieces of mud or stones.

Bamboo Leaves (_bans_).

In Eastern Bengal, Assam, and parts of Burma, the green leaves and young
shoots of the bamboo are used for forage. During the Chin-Lushai
Expedition in 1889-90, the animals with the force got nothing else for
nearly eight months. I had three ponies of my own that were worked
moderately hard the whole time, and they remained in good condition. The
transport mules, which were worked very hard indeed in a very trying
climate, did not fall away nearly as much as I expected. The young shoots
and leaves are cut with a sort of a billhook, called a "dah," and care
must be taken that only the young green leaves and soft tender shoots are
given, the old leaves and the edges of the dry stumps of the bamboo
cutting like a razor. I have seen some bad wounds on the lips, tongue, and
angles of the mouth from this cause. It is best to make the "syces" and
"grass-cutters" pluck the leaves off the branches altogether, and not
leave them about the stable, for fear of wounding the horses. This they
will readily do, as they use the _debris_ for fuel. I have seen some bad
cuts and injuries in both men and animals from the edges of the split
bamboo, which are very sharp--so much so that the savage tribes on the
eastern frontier use a properly split piece of bamboo for a knife in
skinning animals; and the sap of the green bamboo appears to have a
peculiarly irritating or poisonous action, a wound caused by it festering
and suppurating in both man and beast, whereas one inflicted with a dry
bamboo will heal up healthy. Horses require a larger amount of bamboo
leaves than grass. If an animal is getting 20 lbs. of green "dhoob" grass
daily, he will require 30 lbs. of bamboo leaves to keep him in condition.
Although at first horses may refuse them, they take to them kindly after a
little while.

Oat Hay Forage.

In the South African colonies grass hay is almost unknown. The oat is cut
when about half ripe, dried, and given in the straw, in which condition it
is known as forage, and is excellent feeding. It is usually sold in
bundles, wholesale at so much per hundred, and retail at hotels and
livery stables at so many bundles for a shilling. Some years ago, when I
was travelling in the Dutch part of South Africa, in the more
out-of-the-way parts of which there are no hotels, it was the custom to
ask the owner of the farmhouse where you arrived permi