276 BEDDING. 



is a better single bedding than sawdust. The addition of a 

 layer of straw, even if it is not a particularly thick one, over 

 moss litter so as to form a combined bedding, will be a small 

 sacrifice of economy to smartness which few horsemen would 

 grudge. A layer of sawdust under one of straw will in all 

 cases increase the efficiency of the resulting bed without in 

 any way detracting from its appearance. A horse cannot 

 have a much better bed than a combined one of sawdust 

 and straw, or sawdust and shavings. 



BEDDING-DOWN. 



The first thing to do before bedding-down, is to see that the 

 floor is dry and clean. If the floor is damp, and especially if 

 it is evil smelling, we may have it freely sprinkled over with 

 powdered peat moss, sawdust, or even dry vegetable mould, 

 and then swept out with a birch broom. Exposure to air 

 and sunlight, and a sprinkling of sawdust impregnated with 

 carbolic acid (p. 259), will, after drying, be sufficient for dis- 

 infecting purposes in all ordinary cases. 



With straw, an ample bed may be made for a box having 

 an area of 132 square feet (12 ft. by n ft.), with 5 bundles, 

 each of which weighs 14 Ibs. An additional bundle or a trifle 

 more every second day, would be sufficient for most horses ; 

 but animals which eat their bedding, or which make a practice 

 of walking round and round in their box, would require about 

 an additional 50 per cent. Two-and-a-half bundles would be 

 enough for a stall, with an additional bundle every second 

 day. 



The cost of straw bedding may be put at from is. pd. to 

 2s. 6d. a week. 



Theoretically, the arrangement best suited to utilise the 

 elasticity and drainage power of straw would be to have the 

 bedding composed of layers of single straws, the straws of 

 each layer being all in one direction, and at right angles to 



