82 THE POCKET AND THE STUD. 



a stall sweet. Hard blue bricks, such as are 

 termed fire-bricks, are very good, and will wear a 

 long time ; but the best are, undoubtedly,^ the 

 clin'ker. I had once in Hampshire a stable with a 

 chalk floor throughout, and very well (with a good 

 deal of attention) it did ; but it is at best a make- 

 shift. The newly-invented India-rubber floor, I 

 should think, must in every way be excellent ; 

 at all events, it holds out numerous advantages. 

 What per contras there may be I do not know : 

 it is somewhat expensive as to its first outlay ; but 

 this does not prevent its being the most econo- 

 mical in the long-run. It strikes me the India- 

 rubber holds out a very considerable temptation 

 to its use in this particular — it has no projections, 

 and, if it had, even those would be flexible ; so that 

 in summer time, with ordinary work, a small 

 quantity of straw would make the bed soft enough, 

 and have the advantage at the same time of cool- 

 ness. There are numberless apparent savings in 

 what is done as regards the horse ; they are, taking 

 them all in all, really a waste of money. The 

 animal, unfortunately for himself, and very often 

 for ourselves, cannot complain ; so we go on gra- 

 dually, but imperceptibly, injuring him without 

 being aware we are doing so ; but it tells in the 

 lon^-run. A horse does not show at once that 

 he does not rest comfortably, but his loss of con- 

 dition will eventually speak for him ; and a pound 



