FLOORS FOR STABLES. 215 



of the urine escaping through the interstices between the 

 boards, and also by reason of the absorbent nature of wood. 

 In accordance with improved ideas of hygiene, this kind 

 of stable flooring has gone out of favour with us. Blocks 

 of wood laid in a manner somewhat similar to the wood 

 pavement of streets, are sometimes used to pave the forward 

 portion of the stalls of cart horses. They are very durable, 

 and are unobjectionable so long as they are not subjected 

 to the action of moisture. It is a matter of regret that 

 the absorbent and slippery nature of wood precludes its 

 use as a flooring under ordinary circumstances ; for being 

 a bad conductor of heat, it forms a far more comfortable 

 surface to lie upon than one made of brick, stone, or cement, 

 especially when there is little or no bedding ; and it does not 

 cut up straw bedding nearly as much as the flooring materials 

 just mentioned. Under certain conditions it can be advan- 

 tageously used as a temporary covering for a waterproof 

 floor in either box or stall. I have seen movable planks 

 used for this purpose in the Straits Settlement, China, 

 Japan, and Durban (Natal). By one arrangement, a shallow, 

 slightly curved, waterproof drain of a width equal to that 

 of the length of the stall runs underneath the line of stalls ; 

 the planks which form the flooring being made to fit v accu- 

 rately across the shallow, broad drain, or channel, and to be 

 easily taken up when required. The edges of the planks 

 may be bevelled off a little, so as to allow the urine to drain 

 through the interstices between them, on to the waterproof 

 surface below. The planks are made of the same length 

 as the stalls, and about 3 in. thick and 9 in. broad. The 

 surface under the planks, instead of being hollowed out, may 

 be flat and sloping a little (say, I in 60) to the rear, or may 

 be level. It is evident that when the planks rest on a flat 

 surface, they can be made much thinner (say, half the thick- 

 ness) than would be required in the event of their having 



