52 THE PRACTICAL HORSE KEEPER. 



hinged at the bottom, so as to fall inwards at the top. How- 

 ever they may be arranged, they should not allow draughts of 

 air, nor rain or snow to fall on the horses. All stables should 

 be thoroughly lighted. 



FLOORS AND PAVING. 



The floor of a stable should be higher than the ground 

 outside, so as to keep it dry, and secure good drainage. The 

 height should not be many inches, but if possible there should 

 only be one step at the door — better if it can be dispensed 

 with altogether. 



Floors may be made of several materials, but a good 

 paving should possess the properties of durability, imper- 

 meability, secure foothold, and be easily cleaned. 



Clay, rammed hard, has been recommended ; but it is 

 slippery and dirty when wet, and constantly requires holes 

 to be filled up. Some stables are paved with square-cut 

 granite stones, but these, though very durable, become slippery, 

 and should be laid in concrete, with cement or asphalte 

 between, to prevent soakage. Common red bricks are some- 

 times employed, but they also should be laid in concrete and 

 cemented, and though they are not slippery, yet they soften, 

 soak with urine to some extent, and soon wear in holes. 

 Other floors are made of asphalte, but they are dangerously 

 slippery. Moors composed of lime and ashes have been 

 favourably mentioned, if time is allowed for them to harden. 

 Furrowed blue Staffordshire bricks are very generally used, 

 and when set in cement make an excellent floor, providing the 

 bricks are good and the furrows deep. 



Of late years, concrete has come largely into use for paving 

 stables, and the best is, perhaps, that known as Wilkes', 

 •which is a mixture of cement and crushed iron-slag. This 

 makes a beautiful floor, very durable, impermeable to urine 



