342 THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 



and vreil swept, waslied, scrubbed, and cleaned out 

 daily, or oftener if needful : and with respect to their 

 water, the beasts should take it while loose in the 

 yards, at the ponds or other places. 



The divisions for the stalls in such buildings should 

 be rather roomy, about ten or more feet in width, not 

 being closed in the upper parts, in which two beasts 

 may take their food while fastened up for the purpose, 

 the floors or bottoms being formed so as to slope 

 gently backwards to the heels of the cattle, where there 

 should be a step six or eight inches high, with paved 

 gutter, two feet or more in width, for receiving and 

 conveying off the urine, and other liquid matters, as 

 they drain from the stalls. 



In connexion with these feeding-houses and stalls, 

 there should be proper and convenient littered yards, with 

 ponds, or other watering places in them, for receiving and 

 conveying the fattening cattle when not tied up in the 

 night-time and bad weather. The best manner of con- 

 structing such yards has been already stated, and their 

 utility and benefit in such sorts of feeding sufficiently 

 shown ; though they have been objected to by some, 

 on account of the great waste of food where used with- 

 out such houses and stalls for giving the cattle their 

 food in, and for protecting them in cases of cold and 

 bad seasons. The waste, when fed loose in such cases, 

 has been stated to be prodigious ; nine beasts in this 

 way having been found to eat and destroy as much hay 

 as twelve tied up ; it must be noticed, however, that 

 there is not the least doubt that cattle eat more when 

 loose in such yards, than when tied up in close stalls, 

 pud fed in the usual manner, so that the real waste is 

 ess than it first appears to be. But the utility and 

 convenience of such yards is obvious in connexion 

 vith the feeding-houses for turning the cattle into oc- 



