10 CHAPTER 1. 



Neither lofts nor rooms should communicate directly with the stable. 

 If a loft used for storing hay or corn communicates with the stable, the 

 food will become tainted with the emanations rising from below, and the 

 health of the animals w^ll suffer. If rooms communicate with the stable, 

 the health of the inmates, especially children, will suffer. 



Q^ 16. Paving. 



-^' The material required for really good paving must be non-absorbent, 



watertight, easily cleaned, durable, and not slippery. It is not, how- 



' ever, easy to find a material which combines all these requirements. 



^,^^ost materials, in proportion as they answer the first-named require- 



~"ments, fail in the last. "^ 



Granite cubes, 6 inches deep are by far the most durable. The 

 first cost, however, is great, and they have the disadvantage of be- 

 coming slippery after a time, but at some little expense they can be re- 

 roughened by the chisel. As the substance of the stone is homogeneous 

 throughout they will stand re-cutting without injury. 



The cavalry stables at Aldershot, which were laid down with granite 

 cubes nearly 40 years ago, are still in use. 



Hard-burnt bricks, known by various names in different localities 

 (blue, iron, vitrified, adamantine, clinkers, &c.), are also much used, and 

 are much cheaper than granite. The best come from Staffordshire. 

 They are veiy good at first, but it is impossible to bake the brick equally 

 hard throughout ; and hence, when the outer face is chipped or other- 

 wise worn through, this sort of paving very rapidly wears into holes. 



With the view of diminishing their slipperiness, it is the custom to 

 indent the bricks with transverse as well as longitudinal channels. But 

 this practice is most objectionable because the transverse channels cannot 

 be swept out thoroughly, and consequently they retain a portion of the 

 urine and debris of the dung and bedding. Stalls paved with transverse 

 cut bricks are seldom, if ever, sweet. (Fig. No. 1.) 



^' 16a. Drains and Paving. 



If granite cubes are used, the drainage is almost necessarily confined 

 to one drain down the centre of each stall. This is a disadvantage. 



If bricks are used, the best results will be gained (in the Author's 

 opinion) by longitudinal drains, one drain in each brick. See Plate 7. 

 Eaoh channel should be 1|- inches wide, and | of an inch deep. 



This paving will give sufficient foothold, as the channels are crossways 

 to the horse when he turns rotmd. These longitudinal channels have 

 the advantage that they can be swept perfectly clean without extra 

 trouble to the servant, and they also afford drainage to every portion of 

 the stall. 



It will be observed that the channel is formed in the centre of the 

 surface of the brick. The channel must be V-shaped. If round at the 

 bottom the urine will not drain off. 



