144 VETERINARY HYGIENE 



should be at least half an inch deep and should, as far as is practic- 

 able, run at right angles to the direction usually taken by the animals 

 when entering or leaving the building. Checkered grooving is not 

 to be recommended as such a floor is difficult to clean. Should a 

 finer and more durable surface be desired than is given with cement 

 concrete, the upper inch may be composed of two parts crushed 

 granite and one part Portland cement. 



While cement concrete undoubtedly forms the best flooring for 

 cow-sheds, piggeries, &c., some are of the opinion that it is too 

 slippery in stables for horses owing to its smooth surface and to the 

 fact that even when well grooved the grooves in course of time 

 become shallow and worn away by the friction of the horses' shoes. 

 Nevertheless, cement concrete has been found to give complete 

 satisfaction in commercial stables for heavy draught horses. 



Other more or less satisfactory paving materials are causeway 

 setts, vitrified paving bricks, and bricks made of mineral rock 

 asphalt. Causeway setts may be either of whinstone or granite. 

 They are made in various sizes to suit a variety of purposes and local 

 customs. In Scotland the usual size is from 9 inches to 11 inches 

 long, 4 inches broad on the face, and from 6 inches to 6^ inches 

 thick. In England, and particularly in the Liverpool district, 

 4-inch cubes are common. Another favourite size in some districts 

 is from 8 inches to 10 inches long, 3 inches or 4 inches on the face, 

 and about 5 inches deep. For the best class of work, the causeway 

 setts should be laid in a cushion of sand on a concrete bed from 

 4 inches to 6 inches thick. The joints should be grouted with sand 

 and cement, or with pitch. Sometimes the joints are grouted for 

 about two-thirds of their depth, the remainder being filled in with 

 pitch. Granite setts give a good foothold when first laid, but are 

 inclined to become slippery with wear. 



Vitrified paving bricks (see Building Materials) are laid in the 

 same way as setts. They wear very well but are always slippery. 

 They should be grooved to give foothold and the groove in each 

 brick should be fairly deep and wide, a shallow narrow groove 

 serving only to collect dirt. The bricks should be placed so that 

 there is a continuous uninterrupted line of grooving. 



Mineral rock asphalt makes a warm, non-slippery floor, but it 

 is expensive for ordinary use. 



Common building bricks, though frequently used in byres and 

 piggeries, are too porous to make a satisfactory flooring material, 

 and being comparatively soft they wear very unevenly. They are 

 cheaper than vitrified paving bricks and are less slippery. If used, 

 they should be placed on their edges and be set in cement. 



