98 THE ORANGE COUNTY 



Litter should always be allowed for a horse to stale upon, 

 as it is easily removed; and a little water thrown down 

 occasionally will keep the stable free from smells. Nothing 

 can be more offensive either to horse or man than the smell 

 of putrid urine; whilst, if this be permitted to run into a 

 proper receptacle, and a little sulphuric acid added occa- 

 sionally, nothing can exceed its value as a manure, which the 

 farmer should be as careful to preserve as he is the corn 

 which it fertilizes. 



Within reason, the more room a horse has in his stall the 

 less liable will he be to swollen legs. In no instance ought 

 he to have less room than six feet, and if ten can be afforded 

 him so much the more will he thrive, the comfort being 

 especially felt after a hard day's work. Loose boxes are 

 indispensable to horses of value. 



A perfect stable should never have a hay-loft over it. 

 This, of course, will give a little more trouble to the stable- 

 man; but where the comfort of a horse is concerned that is 

 of no consequence whatever. A deep manger, with two or 

 ihree iron bars across, is far preferable to a rack or well for 

 the reception of hay, and will more effectually prevent waste. 

 An arrangement for water should also be provided. The 

 front must, of course, be boarded up, with the exception of 

 the part from which the horse eats. The advantage of this 

 arrangement would be, that all the hay would be eaten, and 

 not pulled down, as is generally the case, and trodden under 

 foot amongst the litter. Much hay will be saved by the use 

 of a deep manger as a substitute for a rack; and an equal 

 saving would take place in com if the manger were made to 

 slope slightly inwards, instead of outwards, as is usually the 

 case. It would exceedingly puzzle a wasteful or mischievous 

 horse to throw his corn out of such a manger, if it is deep 

 enough; but for this, the manger as usually constructed 

 affords him every facility. 



Dung never ought to be allowed to be swept up in a 

 comor, as is frequently the case, and all wet litter should be 

 removed. In short, the more pains that are taken relative to 

 a horse's comfort in a stable the more will he repay those 

 pains; and the farmer, especially, can have no better 

 assurance that the more the horses thrive the more will he 

 himself thrive. The very fact of his attention to his horses, 

 independently of the more effective work arising therefrom, 

 will beget a similar habit of attention to everything else. 



