64 STABLE MANAGEMENT. 



more saving to the wear and tear of the legs and 

 feet than to get the animal to lie down at night. 

 In Australia and South Africa wheat or oat straw 

 can be obtained, but in India rice straw is generally 

 used, or else the long elephant grass that grows on 

 the banks of rivers and swampy places. Both are 

 good enough for the purpose, only they are brittle, 

 and more is required than when wheat straw is 

 used, as they quickly break up. 



Sawdust (lurradah). 



In the north of India the deodar, or Himalayan 

 cedar sawdust, can always be obtained from any 

 of the timber depots on the banks of the large 

 rivers, almost for the expense of carting it away. 

 It makes a good bed if straw cannot be obtained, 

 but is liable to stick to the horse and get in under 

 his coat if at all long, and gives much more 

 work grooming. It is also more troublesome to 

 remove in the morning to air, and if any wind is 

 blowing a good deal gets wasted. If used, it is best 

 to have it spread out in one stall and leave it 

 there, only using it at night, putting the horse into 

 another during the daytime. Any sawdust that gets 

 damp or soiled should be at once removed, as it very 

 soon begins to smell badly. 



