410 



SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 



Part II. 



merlvi Those lately erected are at least sixteen feet wide within walls, and sometimes 



eighteen, and the width of each stall upon the length of the stable is commonly live feet. 



To save a little room, stalls of nine feet are sometimes made to hold two horses, and, 



in that case, the manger and the width of the stall are divided into equal parts by what 



is called a lialf trevice, or a partition about half the depth of that which separates one 



stall from another. By this contrivance, each horse indeed eats his food by himself; but 



the expense of single stalls is more 



than compensated by the greater 



ease, security, and comfort of the 



horses. The trevices or partitions 



which divide the stalls, are of deals 



two inches thick, and about five 



feet high ; but, at the heads of the 



horses, the partition rises to the 



height of seven feet (Jig. 352 a), 



and the length of the stall is 



usually from seven to eight feet. In 



many cases the end stall has a door 



or frame of boards to fit in between it and the back wall (A), in order to enclose food of 



any kind, a sick horse, a foal, or mare and foal, &c. 



2668. The manger (c) is generally continued the whole length of the stable. It is about nine inches deep, 

 twelve inches wide at the top, and nine at the bottom, all inside measure, and is placed about two feet 

 four inches from the ground. Staples or rings are fixed on the breast of the manger, to which the horses 

 are tied. 



2669. Tlie rack for holding their hay or straw, is also commonly continued the whole length of the 

 stable. It is formed of upright spars {d), connected by cross rails at each end, and from two to two and a 

 half feet in height. The rack is placed on the wall, about one foot and a half above the manger, the 

 bottom almost close to the wall, and the top projecting outwards, but the best plan is to place it upright 

 (c, dy a,). The spars are sometimes made round, and sunk into the cross-rails, and sometimes square. 

 In a few stables lately built, the round spars turn on a pivot, which facilitates .the horse's access 

 to the hay, without requiring the interstices to be so wide, as to permit him to draw it out in too large 

 quantities. 



2670. Immediately above the racks is an opening in the hay-loft, through which the racks are filled. 

 When it is thought necessary, this may be closed by boards moving on hinges. 



2671. The racks in some of the best stables occupy one of the angles between the wall and trevices, and 

 form the quadrant of a circle. The spars are perpendicular, and wider placed than in the hanging 

 racks. The hay -seed falls into a box below, instead of being dropixid on the ground, or incommoding the 

 eyes and ears of the horses. 



2672. Bchiml the horses, and about nine feet from the front wall is a gutter, having a gentle declivity 

 to the straw yard or urine pit Allowing about a foot for this, there will remain a width of eight feet to 

 the back wail, if the stiible be eighteen feet wide; a part of which, close to the wall, is occupied with 

 corn-chests and places for harness. 



2673. With a view to save both the hny and the seed, it is an advantage to have the hay-stacks so near 

 the stiible as to admit of the hay being thrown at once upon the loft. In some stables there is no loft, 

 and the hay is stored in a separate apartment. 



2671. The stable floor is, for the most part, paved with undressed stones ; but in some instances, the 

 space from the gutter to the back, is laid with flags of freestone. 



2675. Horse-hamviels, or small sheds, with yards to each, have been used as stables in a 

 few instances, and with great success in Berwickshire. Each shed holds two horses, 

 with a nitch for their harness : to each shed there is an open straw-yard, of small size, 

 with a water trough, and a gate large enough to admit a cart to take out the dung. 

 John Plerriot, of Ladykirk, has long used these buildings for his horses with great 

 success. He has lost none by death for a number of years, and tliey seldom have colds 

 or any other disease. His horses lie in these open hammels in winter ; and it is 

 remarked, that in frosty weather, when snow is falling, and lying on the ground, the 

 animals do not go under cover, but prefer to lie out, with their backs and sides covered 

 with snow. It is well known, that if a horse is kept out in winter, he will have no 

 grease, nor swelled legs, and perhaps few other diseases. These hammels seem to have 

 all these advantages, at the same time that they protect the animal from* damp, and 

 prevent his back from being kept wet by heavy or long continued rains. Every farmer 

 who keeps a large stock of horses, occasionally loses one by inflammation, brought on 

 by coughs and colds ; but the horses of the farmer alluded to, become aged, and he has 

 not had occasion to purchase a young horse for several years. ( Hush, of Scot. i. 26. ) 



2676. Cattle-sheds are used either for lodging milch cows, or for feeeding cattle for 

 the butcher. The principal requisites in buildings of this description are, that they be 

 capable of being well aired ; that they are so constructed as to re<juire the least possible 

 labor in feeding the cattle, and clearing away the dung ; that the stalls be so formed 

 as to keep the cattle as dry and clean as possible, with sufhcient drains to carry away, 

 and reservoirs to collect the urine and dung. There are tliree ways in which the cattle 

 are placed ; first, in a row towards one of the side walls ; second, in two rows, either 

 fronting each other, with a passage between, or with their heads towards both side walls ; 

 and, third, across, or upon the width of the house, in successive rows, with intervening 

 passages for feeding and removing the dung. In the first place, it is usual to have 

 openings in the walls, through which they arc supplied with turnips, otherwise they must 



