FOOD AND GENERAL TREATMENT. 421 



Give the horse plenty of light in his stable, with an abun- 

 dance of pure, fresh air, and one half of the diseases which 

 now infest the habitations of our horses will entirely disap- 

 pear " Of nothing are we more certain," says Youatt, " than 

 that the majority of the maladies of the horse, and those of * 

 the worst and most fatal character, are, directly or indirectly, 

 to be attributed to a deficient supply of air. Each of these 

 evils is to be dreaded — each is, in a manner, watching for its 

 prey; and when they are combined, more than half of the 

 inmates of the stables are often swept away." 



While the entire system of the horse becomes impaired by 

 his confinement in close, damp, dark stables, some particular 

 organ or member generally suffers much more than the 

 others. In regard to the feet, a number of ailments may 

 thus be produced — hoof-rot, scratches, thrush, cracked heels, 

 swelled legs, and others of the same class; while on the skin 

 appear surfeit, mange, hide-bound, stift* complaint, and warts, - 

 with vermin innumerable. But perhaps the eyes are most 

 of all affected by the deprivation of light and the effects of 

 foul air, especially of those pungent fumes of ammonia which 

 are continually arising from the urine and the piles of hot 

 and steaming manure. We sincerely believe that three out 

 of every five cases of bad eyes which occur in our country > 

 proceed from these causes. Let this admonish our farmers 

 and stable-keepers generally to remedy these evils at once, if 

 such exist upon their premises. 



FLOORING. 



The kind of flooring upon which the horse stands, for 

 months or years together, is a consideration of some impor- 

 tance to every owner or keeper of a horse, who regards the 

 animal's health and comfort as well as his own convenience. 

 There are three kinds of floors in common use throughout 

 American stables, which we name in the order of our pref- 

 erence, as follows: The dirt or gravel floor, the wood or 

 plank floor, and the flagstone or pavement. 



The horse prospers best on the dirt or gravel floor. It is 



.A 



