8 CHAPTER 1. 



should have an exit along the whole length of the stable instead of 

 merely by holes, pipes, or funnels in one, or two or three places. 



Louvre boards are often objected to on account of their admitting 

 rain, wind, and snow. When they admit rain, or an excessive amount of 

 wind, the fault lies in the architect or carpenter. If each board is made 

 wide enough to overlap well the board below, and if the pitch is suffi- 

 ciently steep, no serious inconvenience will be felt. 



The different constructions of louvres shown in plan M will, perhaps, 

 explain our meaning. A louvre constructed as represented in fig. 1 will 

 no doubt admit rain, wind, and snow. Fig. 2 will be pretty safe. Fig. 

 3 will be quite secure against all but snow, which will find its way into 

 every place which is not perfectly closed. The intervals between each 

 board should be three inches, and the breadth of the boards themselves 

 should be nine inches. The pitch of the boards should form an angle of 

 sixty degrees. In some very exposed situations broader boards and a 

 greater pitch may be required. For reasons connected with good light 

 in the stable, it will hereafter (under the head of Windows and skylights) 

 be recommended that the " boards " be made of thick, rough |-inch 

 glass. 



The pitch of the roof should be somewhat steep. In plan H the 

 height of the roof is one half its span. 



For cart and other horses doing slow work a raised tile along the apex 

 of the roof is a pretty good and very cheap substitute for louvre boards. 



14. Plans of ceiling. 



Open roofs, notwithstanding the great facilities they afford for ventila- 

 tion, are often objected to, because the absence of ceiling generally 

 implied in the term " open " roof, is apt to render the stable unduly hot 

 in summer and unduly cold in winter, and especially at night. 



This objection, and it is undoubtedly a very serious objection, may be 

 obviated without losing any of the^real advantages of an open roof by 

 putting a ceiling on the roof, but at a distance of twelve inches from it. 

 The current of air between the slates and the ceiling will keep the stable 

 cool in summer, whilst the distance between the ceiling and the slates 

 will prevent the cold from striking through in winter or at night. This 

 is a curious, but practical fact. 



Some little extra expense will be incurred by placing the ceiling at 

 this distance from the roof, because the depth of the subsidiary rafters 

 usually employed is not above five inches. There is, however, no great 

 difficulty or expense, because the ceiling may be attached to the prin- 

 cipal rafters. The detail of the plan of ceiling is shown in Plan I along 

 the lines marked A B and c D. It will be observed that the space near 

 the apex of the roof immediately under the louvre boards, shown in the 

 plan by the open lines from B to c, is not ceiled, so that there may be no 

 interference with the outlet of the foul air. 



