BEDDING MATERIALS. 263 



that it may brighten up the stall or box by the light 

 reflected off its surface. The possession of a pleasant 

 smell is of course a strong recommendation. 



Dryness is essential to the horse's general health and to the 

 strength and soundness of his feet, the horn of which becomes 

 decomposed by the prolonged action of wet. If the bedding, 

 like peat moss, is highly absorbent of moisture, it will aid, as 

 far as its absorbent capacity goes, in keeping the floor dry. 

 But if, like straw, it possesses this property to only a small 

 degree, it will need to be of such a nature that it will readily 

 allow of the downward escape of fluid which falls on it, and it 

 should be of good depth, so that its surface may remain dry. 

 Even then, there will be the difficulty of removing the urine 

 which has drained through the bedding on to the floor. 



High capacity for absorbing gases is very useful in a 

 bedding ; because it helps to prevent the atmosphere of the 

 box or stall from becoming contaminated by injurious gases 

 which result from the decomposition of urine and dung, and 

 which, in this case, will become imprisoned to a greater or less 

 extent in the material of the bedding, and can then be 

 removed out of the stable. 



CLASSIFICATION OF BEDDING MATERIALS. 



An instructive classification of bedding materials can be 

 made by dividing them according to the special aptitude they 

 respectively show for either drainage or absorption. It is 

 evident that the greater the power a substance has of 

 retaining (absorbing) fluid, the less capacity will it have 

 for vertical drainage and vice versa. In fact, excellence in 

 one implies deficiency in the other. We may therefore, from 

 a practical though somewhat arbitrary point of view, place 

 peat moss, tan, and sawdust under the heading of absorbent 

 bedding ; and straw and other forms of litter, which are not 

 more absorbent than it, under that of drainage bedding, if I 



