438 A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



reports on the kinds of floors used, 150 reported earth, 5 

 earth packed over woven wire, 2 gravel, 59 wood or plank, 

 70 cement or concrete, 2 boards over cement, 8 part earth 

 and part cement, 8 part board and part cement, 6 part wood 

 and 6 stone. Concrete is easily kept sanitary and rat-proof; 

 but, unless well bedded, is inclined to cause rheumatism 

 and pneumonia. Earth floors are cheap and are liked by 

 hogs, but are easily rooted up, and may be very dusty or 

 unsanitary. A movable wood floor over concrete is expensive 

 but ideal from a health point of view. A single colony 



Figure 207. Hog cots and lots at Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station. 

 Photograph by the author. 



house should have a strong frame work, a roof that does not 

 leak, and sides that are not drafty in cold weather. It 

 should be placed on runners so that it may be easily hauled 

 to a new location whenever desired. A house 5 feet wide 

 and 7 feet long is of convenient dimensions. A house with 

 a gable roof, or a two-thirds-span roof, or one with roof and 

 sides like the letter A, is the more common. The economy 

 "A" house advocated by Iowa Experiment Station, is very 

 popular. It combines low cost, simple construction, and is 

 easily adjusted for changes of temperature. Its 5'x 7' floor 

 is sufficient for a good-sized sow and litter. 



