Il8 ABOUT STABLES. 



by it — as, for instance, the injury to his eyes from the ammonia 

 it often generates. 



But the horse must not stand on this concrete else his feet 

 will spoil it as he stamps at flies. A plank rack must cover 

 it for a stamping surface. This is made of two-inch stuff, 

 sawed four inches wide and laid three-quarters-of-an-inch 

 apart on cleats. The rear cleat should be enough thicker 

 than the front one to level up the floor. A level floor is 

 necessary for the health of the horse's feet. Filth will 

 collect between the slats of the floor, and must be cleaned 

 out daily by the use of an iron or hook as thick as the spaces 

 between the planks. The square and spirit level will be 

 needed to make the floor a good one. It will save bedding 

 and run off the urine into the manure vault or sewer. A 

 bare cobble floor is not a satisfactory one for the horse, because 

 so rough, hai^d and uneven ; for the owner, because so hard 

 on the horse's feet and so difficult to keep clean. In the 

 engraving showing the stone and cement floor : I represents 

 the space filled with cobbles; 2, the grouting of gravel and 

 cement; 3, the inch of fine surface; 4, the thick rear cleat; 

 5, plank slats for the horse's feet. The foundation is placed 

 thus deeply to avoid the action of frost. 



Mangers should be made of the best seasoned oak, and so 

 tightly that they will hold water. i\n inch auger-hole with 

 a cork at its lowest point should permit water to be drained 

 off in case of accidental spilling of a pail there. Mangers 

 for horses inclined to gnaw should be protected upon the 

 edges by sheet iron or wire net held in place by nafls or 

 staples. But this protection is as objectionable as iron man- 

 gers during freezing weather, as it freezes to the tongue and 

 lips of the horse, skinning them. A broad surface like the 

 bottom of the entire manger is better to feed grain in for 

 most horses than a deep, narrow feed-box, as it prevents 



