Outbuildings, Gateways, Etc. 



253 



Stable at Dedham, Mass. Cost abont $2,300. Capacity, 

 five horses and four carriages. The part of the building to be 

 heated is in the centre, shut off by heavy doors from stalls and 

 carriage room. Frank Chouteau Brown, architect 



now acknowledged that a horse naturally eats off the floor, or at least not higher 



than his own chest. For this reason the hayrack as well as the manger are 



best placed in the latter position. There 



is of necessity much scattering of food 



in a horse stall, but it seems as if the 



feeding of hay and grain through chutes 



from above reduces in a measure the 



waste, as well as the danger, attending 



the use of a metal-tined fork. 



The flooring of a stall is a vital 

 question. For the sake of cleanliness 

 and durability it is usually of brick; for 

 the comfort of the horse, of elm or oak. 

 Being in any event a hard surface, the 

 custom of using the branch drain in the 

 centre of the stall and pitching the 

 flooring toward it from either side, 

 should be adopted with limitations. The 

 pitch is apt to twist the horse's feet 

 unless it be very slight. This centre 

 metal drain leads to a main drain, also 

 of metal, running in the rear of the 

 stalls. The box stall offers a relief to 

 the horse, as its floor can be more readily 

 covered with tanbark or the like with- 

 out danger of much scattering. 



Stall windows should be about 9 

 feet from the floor. If it is deemed 

 advisable to make a window low enough 

 for the horse to look out of, it should be 

 but supplementary, and capable of being 

 closed in windy or cold weather. All 

 windows should, however situated, be 

 provided with screens. 



As a relief from standing in the 

 stall, the paddock is excellent. It should 

 be placed on the south side, and be par- 

 tially shaded by trees if possible. In 

 size it may be from 30 to 75 feet 

 square, as circumstances allow; the 

 larger size is of course to be preferred. 

 A 6- or y-foot fence should enclose it; 

 a lower one may suggest to the horse 

 that he can jump it, which burst of over- 

 confidence may result most disastrously 

 to either the horse or the fence, or both. 



ELE.VATIOM * 



o 



O 



Section and plan of horse stall of above example, showing an 

 excellent method of floor construction 



