PLAITS, MATS AND PILLIKINS. 381 



PLAITS. 



After the bedding has been set fair a plait should be laid 

 at the end of the stalls, in front of the box stall doors and 

 entrances. The method of making a plait consists of damp- 

 ening the straw and placing near the edge a fork handle or 

 pole which is held in place by the feet or knees ; the pro- 

 truding straw ends are drawn with both hands toward the 

 right and twisted under. When the ends are firmly wrapped 

 the edging should be round and perfectly even. 



MATS AND PILLIKINS. 



Any servant who considers himself anything of a stable- 

 man should know how to make anv of the various desio-ns 

 of mats. Mats may be bought for about one dollar and 

 twenty-five cents per yard, but they can be made at odd 

 times by the stable servants, and under such conditions they 

 are always better cared for. The two general forms are : first, 

 those which are knotted only at the top; second, those which 

 are knotted in two places. The latter requires more than twice 

 as much time to make up, but are more durable. The vari- 

 ous forms of knots employed are shown in Fig. 199. Selected 

 straw with the heads intact may be obtained from the grain 

 dealer. The heads should be pulled from the long stalks 

 and thoroughly dampened before being used. One or more 

 pieces of cord are stretched over a hook and the ends passed 

 through holes made about two and a half inches apart in 

 a block of wood and then fastened the same distance (two 

 and a half inches) apart to a point opposite the hook. A 

 bunch of three or five straws is then taken by the man who 

 faces the hook end of the string. When the straw is knotted 

 it is drawn tight and pushed firmly against the hook end of 

 the string and each succeeding bunch is similarly worked. 



