STABLE MANAGEMENT 239 



up with sawdust or some other non-conducting 

 material ; otherwise the corrugated iron will, in hot 

 weather, turn the stable into a furnace. 



Before proceeding, let me compare the beginning 

 with the end of the century. The modern aspect 

 is better than the ancient one, but the stone walls 

 were better than the modern brick walls. In olden 

 days bricks were far harder, and therefore not so 

 liable to suck in moisture as the modern bricks. 

 At the present time it would be nearly an impossi- 

 bility to find a good thatcher outside Dorsetshire, 

 so thatched roofs have been succeeded by tile roofs. 

 A hundred years ago drainage was practically an 

 unknown quantity ; now it has been reduced to 

 an exact science. But in regard to stable drainage 

 the science is simple. Let the gutters from each 

 stall or box run direct into one common gutter, 

 which traverses the stable from one end to the 

 other, and the further this gutter is extended beyond 

 the stable in its open form before it is received into 

 any underground drain the better. Architects may 

 recommend elaborate systems of drainage, but they 

 have been proved times out of number to be a 

 mistake. In ancient days ventilation meant draught ; 

 now it means the ingress of fresh air and the egress 

 of foul air. Let us now consider what is the best 

 method to ensure perfect ventilation. According to 

 Major Fisher, whose long experience of cavalry 

 stables gives additional weight to his opinions, 

 " there should be one or more (according to the 



