THE HORSE : ITS KEEP AND MANAGEMENT. 55 



the stable. I always use it myself, though I do not keep 

 many horses, but I find they do much better on moss peat 

 than they do on straw, and it is considerably cheaper. 

 Certainly it may make the stables look a little more dirty, but 

 it has several advantages over the straw. 



In the first place, if the horse scratches, or paws 

 about with his fore feet, it does not pull it all in a heap the 

 same as it does the straw, as there still remains some of it 

 on the floor, which keeps the horses' knees from the hard 

 bottom. That is a great thing in my opinion, and at the 

 same time the horse has got good foothold to get up again. 



Another objection many people have to moss peat is, 

 that it stops the drains. Now may I just mention that 

 where this is in use, no drains are required, and they ought 

 to be stopped up. Moss peat is a deodorizer, and absorbs all 

 the urine, and therefore holds all the ammonia and strong 

 smell. Wherever the urine is, just that piece should be 

 taken up, and some dry stuff thrown in its place. I never 

 found any of the urine went into the drains where a proper 

 quantity of the moss peat was used. It should be laid down 

 from three to four inches thick. 



And again, horses will often eat clean wheat straw, if 

 they have an opportunity, but there is no fear of them 

 eating the moss peat. Some people say the latter is likely 

 to heat in the stable. This is not the case if it is used 

 properly. Of course it will get hot if it is allowed to 

 accumulate, and the wet is not taken away frequently. 

 My idea is that it does not take anything like the time to 



