208 STABLES. 



windows and doors and thus prevent as much as possible any 

 air entering the room, the fire will not " draw " properly. 

 Even a chimney with a fire in the grate will not always act as 

 an outlet ; for sometimes a downward current of air will be set 

 up by the air outside. The principle of the fire and chimney 

 can occasionally be used in stables to give a lead in an out- 

 ward direction to the air in ventilating shafts, by placing 

 a lamp or small fireplace in them, with all due precautions. 

 On board ship, when horses are carried on the lower deck or 

 " between decks," it is often necessary to give an artificial lead 

 to the circulation of air by either pumping down fresh air or 

 withdrawing foul air by means of an engine. A similar 

 procedure, by means of a small motor, would be useful in 

 many stables which contain a large number of animals in 

 proportion to their cubic contents, and which are placed in 

 confined positions. 



CUBIC CONTENTS OF STABLES. 



A stable should not only be roomy, so as to afford the 

 horses a comfortable abode, but should also be fairly lofty, in 

 order that it may contain a comparatively large volume of air ; 

 because in that case, it will be easier to maintain the purity of 

 the air inside, without the necessity of creating a draught, than 

 it would be if the cubic content of the building were less. 

 It is evident that the smaller the quantity of air in a stable, 

 the quicker will it have to be renewed in order to preserve 

 a healthy standard of purity. Supposing that a stall was 

 6 ft. wide, 10 ft. long, and 10 ft. high, it would contain 

 600 cubic feet of space. To this we might add two-thirds 

 more for passages, &c., and would thus arrive at a total of 

 1,000 cubic feet, which would probably be a fair minimum. I 

 do not think that less space than that would afford a healthy 

 place of residence for horses ; and even then, every precaution 

 should be taken to obtain free ventilation. If a box consisted 



