80 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



reach, or the straw was palatable : this, so far as 

 the clean straw went, was, under ordinary circum- 

 stances, of no great consequence; and with a 

 hunter who is to go with hounds next day, and 

 has this propensity, putting on a muzzle stops 

 him, which is the safest plan : in a general way, 

 a little solution of aloes slightly sprinkled over 

 the litter near his head will answer the purpose : 

 it is not necessary to make the bed wet, or even 

 to be called damp, for a slight smell of the aloes 

 is sufficient. 



I have heard many persons complain of straw 

 being sent to them that was short in length ; this 

 is a great mistake. I never wish to see a straw 

 in a stable more than two feet long: in fact, 

 trussed straw should always be cut in half before 

 the truss is undone. The long round straw is 

 very well for horse-dealers' use, to make the stable 

 look handsome ; but for private purposes it is both 

 wasteful and inconvenient. It is wasteful, be- 

 cause, should one part become soiled, four feet of 

 straw must be thrown out where only one foot is 

 objectionable ; whereas, in the same case, if only 

 two feet in length, of course only two feet would 

 be lost. It is inconvenient, because when it is so 

 long it gets round the horses' legs ; thus causing 

 them to displace the order of their beds every 

 time they move : in fact, for a hunter's or race- 



