THE SADDLE ROOM 159 



and dry ; and care should be taken to have it 

 well lighted at night, for in winter time a great 

 deal of very necessary work has to be done after 

 dark. A man cleaning dirty hunting tackle by 

 the darkness visible given off by a tallow candle 

 is deeply to be sympathized with. 



It has been said that concrete makes the best 

 saddle room floor. Perhaps it does and a con- 

 crete floor has two advantages, first it is dry, and 

 secondly no vermin can get through it. Person- 

 ally however I do not like it so well as boards 

 which always show when they have been well 

 scrubbed. Cocoanut matting may be laid over 

 the saddle room floor when the work is done, and 

 gives a nice ' finish ' to it. 



Some people advocate stoves instead of fire- 

 places and perhaps the heat is more equably 

 distributed by them. But provided too big a 

 fire is not kept up — excessive heat being destruc- 

 tive to leather — I prefer the open fireplace. 

 More articles can be ' aired off ' round a stove 

 than in front of a fire, but for all that I hke the 

 look of an open fireplace best. In some saddle 

 rooms I have been in there is a boiler attached to 

 the fireplace. This plan I do not like ; there is 

 sure to be some escape of steam and a saddle 

 room is a place in which water should never be 

 boiled. A very small quantity of steam escaping 

 into a room will affect the sensitive surface of 

 burnished steel. 



A place for everything and everything in its 

 place is the motto for saddle room and stable. 



