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usage ; and they should be of a plahi, simple, and good character, 

 without too much brass, which entails much labour in keeping 

 bright. Whilst on this subject I may remark that it is a mistake 

 to lay water on to the mangers ; it is infinitely better to water the 

 horses wath iron pails from a tap in each stable. 



The wood-lining to walls, and filling in of divisions for a really 

 good stable, ought to be of oak or teak — the latter for preference. Elm 

 is a very good material, and although not affected by the action of 

 urine, is liable to warp and twist, and when used should always be 

 tongued with iron. Where horses are given to kicking, the boarding 

 should have strips of stout hoop-iron screwed on. All divisions should 

 have the bottom rail raised off the floor so as to allow of proper 

 cleaning and flushing, and for other reasons not necessary to mention. 

 Where the boarding is placed against the walls, it is well to have the 

 brick-work behind same rendered in cement. All protruding corners 

 of wood-work likely to be gnawed by the horses should be plated with 

 zinc. The iron fittings should be enamelled with hard and well- 

 polished material, and even then care should be taken so to dry and 

 ventilate the whole space that the enamel may not be discoloured 

 by the steam from the horses, as is often the case. The space against 

 the wall above the mangers should be tiled with tiles of a colour 

 toned so as not to affect the eyesight of the horses — cinnamon, buff, 

 or cream colour being preferable to white or blue ; in fact, the latter 

 sljould always be avoided. The same remark applies to the colouring 

 of the walls above the boarding. They should, in good work, be 

 finished wath glazed bricks or polished cement. If done in glazed 

 bricks, the walls could, with advantage and very little extra cost, be 

 designed in panels formed with bands of coloured bricks, as was done 

 at the stables at Wandle House (Plate XIII.) The walls of the 

 cleaning-places should be of glazed bricks of suitable colour for the 

 sake of cleanliness, and the same may be said of the walls in coach- 

 houses. They do not harbour the dust so easily as plaster or cement, 

 and the latter mode is liable to breakage and chipping, which becomes 

 very unsightly. 



Heating. — The necessity of heating the coach-houses is apparent, 

 and the best method of doing so is by a small gas-furnace, with a flow 

 and return pipe taken round the chamber. This arrangement requires 

 no attention whatever beyond turning on the gas, and daily filling the 

 cistern with a jug of water to make up loss from evaporation. Besides, 



