124 CITY MILK SUPPLY 



too shallow and to give them too little pitch. They should be 18 in. 

 wide with vertical sides 10 in. deep next the platform and 4 in. deep next 

 the alley; they should have a slope of from 2 to 3 in. in every 40 ft. The 

 gutters should be built of cement for sanitary reasons and to conserve 

 all the fertility of the manure. The gutter should terminate in a 6-in. 

 sewer pipe, the mouth of which should be covered with a solid top except 

 when the stable is being washed out, when a perforated top should be 

 substituted. A bell trap may be used to stop the nuisance that results 

 from choking of the pipe with straw. The pipe should lead the liquid 

 manure to a water-tight cesspool from which it is pumped and sprinkled 

 on the land as needed. 



Alleys. The alleys should be sloped gently toward the gutters. 



Walls. The walls of the barn next the alleys should be plastered with 

 cement from the floor to the window sills that spattered droppings may be 

 easily cleaned off. 



Stanchions. There are several sorts of stanchions. The old-fash- 

 ioned rigid stanchion had the advantage of keeping the cows clean but 

 as it did not give enough freedom of movement to the cows nor permit 

 them to lie in a natural position it has been largely superseded by those 

 that give these advantages. The swing-chain stanchion has proved the 

 most popular. Stanchions are made either of wood or iron pipe; the 

 latter is comfortable for the cattle and is more durable than the former. 

 These stanchions may be purchased at about $1.35 a piece and put up at 

 home. They are hung from wooden framework or better from a frame- 

 work of gas piping set in cement. The double-post slip-chain stanchion 

 is comfortable and seems to be coming back into use. 



Mangers. Mangers in a few barns are dispensed with, feeding being 

 done right on the floor. This practice is uncommon, most dairymen 

 using mangers of which there are many styles and which are built of 

 different materials. Wooden mangers were once practically universally 

 used but they are being rapidly displaced because food gathered in the 

 cracks making them sour and ill-smelling. Metal mangers are used but 

 cannot be recommended because they lack durability. Cement mangers 

 have proved the most popular; they are usually built in trough form which 

 makes them easy to wash out. They should be 3 ft. wide. The bot- 

 tom should be rounded and should be 1 or 2 in. above the platform; and 

 the walls should be smooth and should rise 18J4 to 30 in. above the 

 floor. The objections are raised to trough mangers that the cows rob 

 one another of food and that tubercular animals readily spread infection 

 in them. The first difficulty is met by providing metal partitions that 

 can be dropped into place at feeding time and raised thereafter. As to 

 the second its truth may be admitted, but there are so many ways for 

 the tubercular animal to spread infection that it seems hopeless to 

 prevent her doing so as long as she is a member of the herd. Remov- 

 ing her therefrom is the only remedy. 



