78 



ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



Sand. 



A sand 

 bath. 



Peat 



for collars. The straws are finer than wheat, and the colour not so 

 bright. 



Bracken and leaves are, at the best, inferior bedding materials, but are 

 sometimes made use of in the country as a matter of economy. They 

 are not very absorbent, nor do they act well as drainers, so that except 

 as an emergency bed, for which use might occasionally arise in camp, 

 they are not likely to be met in the Service. 



Sawdust may be utilized when it can be obtained in plenty, but owing 

 to its liability to rapid fermentation, it cannot be successfully employed 

 unless the supply is ample. In any case only sawdust from well- 

 seasoned wood is suitable, green sawdust becoming hot as soon as it is 

 pressed together in the bed and soiled by the urine. As with all 

 absorbent litters, stable drains should be stopped before the bed is laid, or 

 it will fill and choke them ; the soiled portions must be removed at every 

 opportunity and the whole well turned and aerated daily. If these 

 precautions are not observed, the sawdust gets hot, and rapidly becomes 

 fly-blown and full of maggots. 



Shavi7io;s are occasionally used in the neighbourhood of factories 

 which produce them in quantity. They make a fair bed, are not so liable 

 to get hot as sawdust, but are not so absorbent, and often contain small 

 blocks and chips of wood which must be carefully picked out before 

 use. 



Sand under favourable conditions makes a most excellent bedding, 

 but is unsuited for damp, cold climates. In hot, dry weather and 

 especially where the stable floors are not impervious to wet, it makes a 

 comfortable, sanitary bed and is much liked by horses. Sand free from 

 any trace of salt must be used, or horses will eat large quantities and 

 suffer from serious sand colic. 



A sa?id bat/i, i.e., a large circular bed, several inches deep, is an 

 excellent addition to any stable ; horses thoroughly enjoy a roll on it 

 when they return hot from work, and it dries them at once. It is 

 occasionally stated that sand spoils the coat, but the objection has no 

 foundation in fact. 



Peat 7noss makes excellent bedding ; it is very highly absorbent, 

 gives a firm but elastic surface, sufficiently warm, yet cool to the feet, and 

 is a deodo];iser of" the urine. To this last quality some of the faults of 

 which it has been accused can be traced, for there being no smell in the 

 stable, sufficient attention may not have been paid to the litter, with the 

 result that horses' feet have suffered. Peat moss requires the same 

 attention as any other absorbent litter, and if this is not given, it will 

 have the same effect as any other urine-saturated material, namely, to rot 



