HYGIENE, UNSOUNDNESS, DISEASE. 253 



ones. In every instance, wherever it is possi- 

 ble, light a stable at night by electricity. With 

 the spread of the inter-nrban railway it is in 

 many places possible now to obtain the service 

 of the electric current at small cost. 



A manure heap at the door of a stable is an 

 abomination. Experiments have proved that it 

 is most profitable from a fertilizing point of 

 view to haul manure to the field and spread it 

 as soon after it is made as it can be accom- 

 plished, but whether that is done or not, get 

 the litter far away from the stable. With a 

 great festering manurial sore right at the very 

 door of their dwelling horses cannot be expect- 

 ed to be and remain as healthy as they would 

 be with the stenches and flies and microbic life 

 such dumps breed removed far from them. 

 Keep the footing in front of the stable well 

 graveled, dry and free from accumulations of 

 every sort. 



In a previous chapter the rearing and feed- 

 ing of young horses and the care of brood 

 mares have been gone into at length. Such stock 

 needs dry quarters and to be kept out of the 

 mud. Therefore it is the poorest sort of pol- 

 icy to let horses plow through muddy fields of 

 cornstalks. Keep them in the dry. If it be 

 necessary to use cornstalks as roughage, either 

 feed the stalks whole on dry footing and spread 

 over a large area or have them shredded and 

 feed in racks. Horses can stand almost any 



