336 STABLES 



WATER-SUPPLY 



In arranging for the water-supply to a stable much will depend upon 

 the site. Town and suburban stables will generally avail themselves of 

 the local supply, for which much storage will scarcely be needed, and the 

 pressure will be sufficient for the hose and other purposes. In the country, 

 however, a special supply will generally have to be provided. Rain- 

 water is often valued for this purpose, and if it is collected from the 

 stable roofs the cistern will have to be fixed at a suitable level below 

 the eaves; the higher its position the greater head of pressure there will 

 be for the discharge from the hose. The tanks, when not too large, 

 may be of galvanized iron, but slate is very clean and durable, and for 

 very large tanks boiler-plate iron is a .strong and cheap material. Where 

 the rain-water is used for drinking it is the better for being filtered. 

 This need not be an elaborate affair. It should be borne in mind 

 that the mechanical, or straining, part of filtration is now recognized 

 as being the least efficient part of the process, and that the purification 

 of water is now known in the main to be due to the biological work 

 effected by microbes, and that the most efficient filtering material is that 

 which furnishes for these the most favourable habitat. A very efficient 

 filter for stable purposes may be formed by dividing the tank into two 

 sections by a diaphragm reaching to within a few inches of the bottom, 

 and placing a false bottom of perforated wood, or a galvanized-iron grating, 

 about 6 inches above the real bottom. This grating should have a layer 

 of riot less than 12 inches of crushed coke. The water would enter the 

 tank on one side, pass through the layer of coke and under the diaphragm, 

 and ascend again through the layer of coke on the other side. A filter 

 of this sort will remain in working order for a long period, and when 

 it shows signs of clogging a slight scraping of the surface of the coke will 

 probably re-establish its efficiency. A better arrangement would be to 

 have the filter above the cistern, as it would not then be always water- 

 logged, and would have full opportunities for aeration. Two filters might 

 be provided, one. being in use, and the other being laid aside for aeration 

 or repairs. 



STABLES FOR CART-HORSES 



The accommodation required for cart-horses is of course of a much 

 simpler nature than that for the carriage- or riding-horse. Not only is 

 the horse generally of a heavier make, and of a less sensitive constitution, 

 but he is looked upon as a unit of business that is expected to " pay 



