THE COACH-HOUSE, HARNESS-ROOM, ETC. 85 



in every coach-house due provision should be made for the recep- 

 tion of the poles of two-horse carriages. The common practice 

 of propping them against the wall is not to be commended, 

 unless there be on the wall some contrivance for holding the 

 heads, and a stop on the floor to prevent the downward ends 

 from slipping ; but a projection on the ground often interferes, 

 in limited establishments, with the utilisation of all the room 

 for standing purposes. Unless some means are taken to keep 

 a pole secure it may crack after being thrown down, and break 

 when in use moreover, in damp weather a pole may warp 

 through being stood against a wall. A better plan is to have- 

 wooden supports fitted to the wall of the coach-house, on 

 which the pole may rest. The wood should be covered with 

 some soft substance to prevent scratching, and the supports 

 should be about five feet apart, an arrangement which will nofe 

 throw undue strain upon any part of the pole. Those who 

 believe in the importance of small things will see the advisa- 

 bility of having the pole supports about three feet^six inches 

 from the ground, so as to prevent unthinking people from 

 seating themselves on the pole. 



A carriage fresh from the coach-builders, either as a new 

 one or after the ' doing up ' process, has had such pains expen- 

 ded upon the painting and varnishing of its panels and wheels i 

 that it is clearly the duty of the owner to insist upon the clean- 

 ing being properly and carefully performed. The apparently 

 simple feat of washing a carriage is, nevertheless, not so easy 

 as it looks, and takes some time to learn. A well-meaning 

 but inexperienced lad may not begin to clean a vehicle until 

 the mud has been dry on it for some hours ; then he sets to 

 work with a stiff brush, scratching the varnish all over ; turns 

 on a deluge of water ; remembers that his dinner or tea time 

 has arrived ; gives the carriage a hasty wipe over, and rolls it 

 back into the coach-house with many beads of water still cling- 

 ing to it. People, therefore, who have good carriages will find 

 it the best economy to engage a competent servant, even though 

 he may require a higher wage. But as the services of a 



