KEEPING OXE COW. 



73 



not afford the expense of building a good one, he must at least 

 have a proper stall to save the manure of the cow, and to shelter 

 her from the inclemency of the weather. A stable that will fully 

 answer this purpose, should be at least fourteen feet square, and 

 about twelve feet high to the eaves, and should have a loft for 

 storing hay. The annexed figures represent such a structure in 

 outline : 



Figure 17 is a ground plan, and shows that the lower story is di- 

 vided into two parts, 8, representing the stall, and E, all the 

 remaining portion below. The stall is ten feet long, and should 

 be five, or nearly five feet wide ; M, represents the manger, which 

 is about two feet deep, eighteen inches wide, and in length equal 



,OF TEE 



Ti M 



Fig. 17. 



Fig. 18. 



to the width of the stall. The cow is tied to the manger with a 

 halter or chain ; I 7 , is a trough in the manger for feeding roots, 

 salt, etc., and is about one foot wide, eight inches deep, and in 

 length equal to the width of the manger. The floor of the stall 

 should slope a little to the rear, and must be water-tight, so as to 

 conduct the urine of the cow into the brine-pit, B. The floor may 

 be composed of cement, or of two-inch plank closely fitted together. 

 The brine-pit, 5, consists of a water-tight box made of plank, and 

 should be about one foot wide, six inches deep, and in length equal 

 to the width of the stall. This pit is sunk into the ground so that 

 its top is on a level with the floor, in order that it may receive all 

 the liquid discharges of the cow that are not absorbed by the litter. 

 If the floor is laid in cement the pit may be made of the same 

 material. The object of the brine-pit is to save the liquid manure ; 

 to accomplish which the latter must be retained by some absorbent. 



