2/o BEDDING. 



them by their organs of smell, are apt to overlook the fact 

 that the bedding requires frequent overhauling, and conse- 

 quently they omit to remove contaminated portions, which in- 

 juriously affect the feet of horses that stand on them, and 

 which sometimes leave patches of damp on the coat or clothing. 

 Besides this, the dark colour of peat moss aids in concealing 

 dirt, both liquid and solid, and on that account, a not very 

 observant groom will be apt to allow a peat moss bedding 

 to become far fouler than a bedding of straw for example. 

 Liability to heat and to rot the horn of the hoofs is un- 

 doubtedly the chief drawback to the use of peat moss, which 

 disadvantage can be obviated by extra care in picking out 

 the feet and in removing soiled litter. It sometimes happens 

 that in the use of moss litter by a groom who is careless 

 about picking out the feet and removing tainted litter, that a 

 horse taken out of the stable is apt to soil the yard or other 

 places by peat falling out of his balled feet. In this case, the 

 groom and not the bedding is to blame. 



Among other good qualities of peat moss, we may take into 

 consideration its cheapness, portability, ease with which it can 

 be obtained and stored, the small amount of labour required 

 with it for bedding down and mucking-out, its applicability to 

 the use of horses which are inclined to eat their bedding, its 

 noiselessness when trodden on, its usefulness in filling up 

 inequalities, such as those presented by a floor paved with 

 cobble stones, and the difficulty of setting fire to it, as 

 compared to straw or wood shavings. It is said that the 

 coats of grey and white horses do not stain so readily on 

 moss litter as on straw. On the other hand, it balls in the 

 feet, it gives the box or stall a gloomy appearance, and is 

 liable to block up subsoil drains which open under the animals. 

 Peat that contains a good deal of earthy matter will of course 

 be more or less dusty, and will consequently spoil, to some 

 extent, the appearance of the coat for the time being. I have 



