CHAPTER XXIV. 



CONSTRUCTION AND MANAGEMENT OP STABLES, AS RELATED 

 TO HYGIENE. 



t. NECESSITY FOR STABLES. II. CONSTRUCTION OP STABLES. III. FEEDING AND 



WATERING STOCK. IV. THE CARE OF STOCK WHEN IN STABLE. .V. ADDI- 

 TIONAL DIRECTIONS FOR GIVING MEDICINES. VI. DETECTION OF DISEASE. 



I. Necessity for Stables. 



In many regions and climates, stables are not necessary ; horses, 

 mules, cattle and all kinds of stock lie down to rest and sleep in the open air, 

 under cover of the blue sky, or, if they have any shelter, they find it for 

 themselves, in gi'oves, edges of forests and canons. In some countries 

 yards or corrals are made, and the stock driven into them at night, to 

 keep them from straying, and from being attacked by wild beasts. 



In this country, and especially in the northern and central States, 

 stables are indispensable, as a protection from cold, sudden changes and 

 severe storms. They are tokens of civilization and Christianity, the 

 result of a humane disposition to provide comfortable — sometimes even 

 foxurious — quarters for the animal dependents as well as for the family. 

 n. Construction of Stables. 



The construction of the stable, in all its various features, including the 

 arrangements for its drainage and ventilation, as well as stalls, man- 

 gers, etc., is of great importance, as bearing directly upon the health, as 

 well as the comfort, of the animals. Mistakes in stable construction are 

 often the unsuspected cause of lameness, of disease, and even death. 

 Hygienic considerations should, therefore, have their full weight in plan- 

 ning and building a barn. 



Location is the first consideration, as determining the possibilities of 

 good drainage. Do not build a barn in a hollow, with rising ground all 

 around it ; for this would expose your stock to miasmatic fevers and other 

 derangements of the general organism. In such a location, the simplest 

 attacks of disease would be likely to take on a serious type, with greatly 

 increased uncertainty in the action of remedial agents. Build a stable on 

 an elevation, if possible. Have ground around it, at least on one side, 

 that slopes away, so as to furnish good natural drainage, or free escape for 

 suq^erfluous water. 



The next point after settling that of location, is the artificial drainage. 

 There should be one large drain, to act as the discharge, with several 



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