252 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



ever, that the only eiTect of it is to make the horse uncom- 

 fortaLle while feeding. It has indeed been lately recommend- 

 ed, as the best plan, to place the racks on a level with the 

 manger, so that the horse may feed as he does in a state of 

 nature. This plan is a good one. It has been tried both 

 for wagon and saddle horses, that is, both single and double, 

 and found to answer extremely well. It \vas observed, how- 

 ever, that some horses would throw out part of the hay with 

 their noses when it was of a bad quality ; but by placing 

 one or more bars across on the upper part, from the front to 

 the back, this was effectually prcented. The manger should 

 be rather wide, and not less than eighteen inches deep. 

 When a horse is fed principally with chaff or cut hay, a 

 deep manger is particularly necessary, as many horses, in 

 endeavoring to pick out the oats from the chaff, will throw 

 out a great deal of the food with their noses when the man- 

 ger is shallow. In larger stables, where many horses are 

 kept, such as post or wagon stables, each stall is to contain 

 two horses, which will require a space of twelve feet. A 

 mpnger is placed at each end, and the hay crib in the centre. 

 A very short halter is sufficient to allow the horses to lie 

 down, and then there is no danger of entangling themselves 

 with it, an accident that often occurs when long halters are 

 used. La Fosse, in his Manuel d'Hippiatrique, says that the 

 fall in the floor of the stall should not be more than one 

 inch to two yards : and this, I think, is quite sufficient. 

 The gutter behind the stall is commonly too deep, and often 

 so placed as to be in the way of the horses' hind feet. 

 When a stable is properly attended to, scarcely any gutter 

 is required; and when theie is one, it should be very shal- 

 low and wide. 



When a stable is ventilated by means of a tube or chim- 

 ney, it should be placed in the centre of the ceiling, the 

 opening in \vhich should be large, in proportion to the num- 

 ber of horses kept ; it cannot well be too large, but may be 

 contracted upwards, so as to have a conical shape, or it may 

 be made so as to resemble a dome or cupola. It should be 

 carried a few feet above the top of the roof, and have lateral 

 openings by means of slanting boards, but closed on the top ; 

 by which contrivance there would be a free communication 

 with the atmosphere, and the rain would be effectually ex- 

 cluded. 



There have been different opinions held with respect to 

 the removal of the litter during the day ; but when we con- 



