192 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



ed with the products of fermentation. It is the 

 carbonic acid gas which kills the individual in 

 this case ; and who is not aware of the danger 

 of descending close, deep wells, where foul air 

 has accumulated, and rendered the atmosphere 

 obnoxious to human beings ? Again, carbonic 

 acid gas proves to be the baneful agent : few-, 

 perhaps, are cognizant of the fact, that if a bird 

 be suspended from the roof of a closely-encom- 

 passed bed, the creature is speedily put to 

 death — it is poisoned by exposure to the car- 

 bonic acid gas — the natural product of the respi- 

 ration of the persons occupying the bed ! Al- 

 though this gas is naturally heavier than com- 

 mon atmospheric air, it nevertheless, when 

 heated bj' the process of respii-ation, becomes 

 much lighter, ascends, and occupies the space 

 nearest the roof of the chamber whei-e it may 

 have been produced ; so that persons near the 

 floor, having a plentiful supply of cold air. maj' 

 suffer no inconvenience, although they, most as- 

 suredly, by each act of expiration, are slowly and 

 silently contributing to the destruction of the ill- 

 fated victim in the cage. But the products of 

 respiration, poisonous although they be, are the 

 result of vital phenomena, and, therefore, cannot 

 be dispensed with nor prevented ; but the grand 

 source of vitiation to which I am desirous to di- 

 rect attention, is both removable and preventa- 

 ble, because it is dependent on die ammoniacal 

 gas which is disengaged from the decomposing 

 urine that is absorbed by the porous floors of 

 stables. Now let me shortly describe the con- 

 dition of stable-floors as tliese are usually (I may 

 say invariably) constnicted — and suppose we 

 take a stall in the Piershill barracks as our text : 

 nothing could be more unscientific than the ar- 

 rangements which are here every\vhere to be 

 observed. All that seems to have been aimed 

 at is merely to secure a hard and resisting foot- 

 ing for the animals, and .hat this may be effect- 

 ed at the cheape.st rate, the following mode of 

 procedure is practised : — Boulders, or inegular 

 blocks of stone, are placed in a bed of sand, or 

 small gravel, (I beg especial attention to this 

 circumstance,) and it is believed that vs-hen 

 these are made to present a fair surface, that the 

 "job" has been creditably executed ; but what 

 are the facts ? They are simph' these : When 

 the liquid manure of horses is dropped on such 

 a floor as that which I have de.scribed, they ra- 

 pidly percolate between the interstices of the 

 irregular stones — decomposition immediately 

 ensues, and deleterious ga.ses arc abundantly 

 disengaged. I would, therefore, beg to press 

 upon the attention of all whom it may concern, 

 that the principle of rendering stable-floors im- 

 pervious to moisture should never be lo.st sight 

 of; without attention to this desideratum the 

 most ingenious scliemes for ventilation must be 

 stultified ! So rapidly do the component parts 

 of urine assume the gaseous fonn, that it has 

 surprised many to find, on examining an imper- 

 fect floor, that percolation lias extended to .so 

 small a depth, but the true explanation of this 

 circumstance no doubt is, tliat the recently- 

 dropped urine comes in contact wnth materials 

 in a liigli state of chemical action, \\hich, like 

 yeast to the wort, immediately imluces a simi- 

 lar condition in the atoms of the recent materi- 

 als, ammoniacal gas is formed, which ascends 

 and pervades the entire apartment. The ini- 

 tating ammoniacal gas I have frequently found, 

 on going into a stable in the morning so concen- 

 trated that I could not breathe without cough- 

 ing, and my eyes lacluymated as if a newly -cut 



onion had been hanging under my nose. Now, 

 the products of respiration contributed but in an 

 inferior degree to this state of vitiation. I re- 

 peat again, that it is impossible to preserve the 

 purity of the atmosphere of a stable, while its 

 floor continues pervious to moisture. I, there- 

 fore, cannot too strongly urge this fact upon the 

 attention of every one who may find his .stables 

 in an objectionable and unwholesome condition ; 

 and it will be satisfactory to know that the 

 means by which the desired improvement may be 

 effected, involves neither difficulty nor expense. 



Let the centre of the causewayed stall be re- 

 moved 2 feet in breadth, and .'5 "feet in length, 

 measuring from the croup end of the stall. Flags 

 of sandstone pavement, of 1 foot in breadth, 3 

 inches thick, and of convenient length, having 

 the inner or central edges beveled to .such an an- 

 gle as that when the two are brought together 

 there will be a space or central gutter formed 

 like an inverted V, 1 i inch in breadth at the sur- 

 face, and 2 inches deep at the apex of the invert- 

 ed cone, which space must be filled with ce- 

 ment or pitch — a slight downward and back- 

 ward inclination must be given to the paving- 

 stones, so that whatever liquid may be dropped 

 upon them, shall be rapidly conducted tow-ards 

 the hind quarters, and thence conveyed on 

 the surface to the point in the exterior foimd 

 most convenient for a tank, or reaen'oir, where 

 it may be stored till required as manure. I find 

 the making such an airangement as I have 

 shortly described would cost for materials about 

 10s. per stall — 10 feet for each stall, and 10 feet 

 for that part of the floor immediately behind tlie 

 animal opposite his stall. A most superior aiti- 

 cle I know could be famished by Messrs. J. Pa- 

 ton and Sons, of Ajt. The excellent quality of 

 their sandstone, and the great advantages of tl'ieir 

 ingenious aad powerful stone-cutting machine- 

 ry gives to their establishment a peculiar claim 

 to prefemieut. 



I shall conclude this perhaps already too ex- 

 tended communication, by assuring gentlemen 

 w-ho may adopt such structural airangements as 

 I have proposed, that they vsill have no reason 

 to regret tlieir conduct ; as to the pvecuniarj' out- 

 lay which these improvements would require, 

 you'll 



"Let me whisper in their lug, 

 That's ablins nae vexation ;" 

 because all that is to be done is to give their no- 

 ble animals (w-hose faithful servitude deserve ao 

 well at their hands) credit for one year, as tlie 

 following statement will clearly demon.strate. — 

 A horse voids more than 3 lbs. of ui-ine daily — 

 or say — 1100 lbs. per aimum=:21 lbs. ammonia 

 =180 lbs. guano, 10s. So tliat lie pays like a 

 gentleman for tlie enjoj-ment of an unvitiated 

 atmosphere. 



In a future communication I will endeavor to 

 give a popular description of the theorj- of ven- 

 tilation, and the contrivances by which fresh 

 air may be supplied to stables, and modes by 

 which it should be removed when it becomes 

 vitiated from natural cau.ses. The necessity 

 there is for rendering stable-floors impervious to 

 urine appears to me so obvious, that I flatter my- 

 self no sensible man \\-ho may chance to cast 

 his eye over this burned and imperfect paper 

 will hesitate for a moment in adopting some 

 plan, which sliall have the effect of rendering 

 his stable-floors impermeable to liquids. Until 

 this is effected, it is idle to talk about any venti- 

 lating scheme whatever ; thereibre, I say — Re- 

 form your Stable-Floors ! ! ! \V. D. Guthrie. 



