ECONOMY. 377 



The horses will be freer from sickness and able to endure 

 more work if given their full quota of grooming and regu- 

 larly fed and watered ; the carriages will last longer if, after 

 they are used, they are well washed and cleaned, and when 

 standing idle they are frequently dusted and aired ; the har- 

 ness will last longer if properly cared for after work instead 

 of being left muddy and wet until the following morning ; 

 and brushes, sponges, chamois, etc., will not have to be con- 

 stantly bought to take the place of those that have been 

 poked away into some out of the way place or that have 

 been rendered useless by rot. The sobriety and good will 

 of the stable servants are important factors in controlling 

 the ravages of wear and tear. Without system and order, 

 economy is impossible, and their introduction into the man- 

 agement of the average stable would permit of another horse 

 being kept without increasing the expenses. 



A competent coachman commands high wages not only 

 because he is of good appearance, sits well on the box and 

 drives his horses smartly, but because, by the intelligent and 

 systematic performance of his work, he saves his employer 

 many dollars each month. This ability is acquired only by 

 capable men who have been taught to do their work in- 

 telligently and systematically. 



The average coachman, though a good worker, has a 

 dozen or more irons in the fire at once. The horses are 

 sometimes watered before they are fed, at others the task is 

 reversed ; then, again, the man begins to clean a set of har- 

 ness ; if he is called away for a moment, when he returns, 

 instead of continuing his work on the harness, his attention 

 is given to a dirty carriage, and so on until he has all his 

 stable work begun but nothing finished. Brushes, sponges, 



