To  guard  against  adulterated  oatmeal,  the  coarsest


78  SYSTEM    OF    KENNEL    AND

should  be  selected — almost  whole  grits,  which,
although  requiring  more  labour  in  boiling,  proves
the  most  nutritious  food.  The  manuflicture  of  this
meal  is  little  understood  in  England,  and  less  prac-
tised ;  yet  the  process  is  a  very  simple  one.  The
oats,  having  been  first  dried  on  a  kiln,  are  passed
lightly  through  the  mill  to  disengage  the  husks —
then  winnowed  clean  from  all  chaff  and  dust,  and
ground  coarsely  or  fine,  according  to  the  demand.
For  foxhounds,  this  meal  ought  to  be  twelve  months
old  before  used  ;  for,  when  new,  we  have  found  it  to
disagree  with  them,  and  not  stand  firm  after  boil-
ing. There  is  great  economy  in  having  an  old
stock  on  hand,  a  practice  generally  adopted  in  all
large  hunting  establishments.  It  goes  much  farther,
and  pays  well  for  keeping.  We  had  large  bins,
or  rather  wooden  compartments,  in  our  granary,
into  which  the  meal  was  trodden  down  by  men,
and  then  battened ;  and  thus  stored  it  would  keep
good  for  two  years,  if  not  wanted  before.
