42 



FLOOR SPACE. 



Sufficient floor room as well as ample air space are conditions 

 of comfort to both the cow and the owner too often neglected, either 

 wilfully or ignorantly. The increased expense of having buildings 

 roomy is the usual reason for cramped quarters. Roomy stables 

 are likely to much more than repay extra cost of construction in 

 increased returns and improved health of animals, to say nothing of 

 added comfort and pleasure to owner. It is difficult to keep things 

 right and get along comfortably with less than 50 square feet of 

 floor space per animal housed. It is ^unnecessary, and in many 

 parts of Canada unwise to allow over sixty square feet of floor for 

 each animal included, cow, calf or bull. 



CUBIC SPACE OR AIR SPACE PER COW. 



From five hundred and fifty to six hundred cubic feet of air 

 space should be allowed for each animal in the stable, and to accom- 

 plish this with reasonable economy of floor space, the distance betwieen 

 the floor and ceiling should be from nine to nine-and-a-half or even 

 ten feet. 



ARRANGEMENT OF COWS. 



The best arrangement of cows is that which gives greatest con- 

 venience in feeding and cleaning. This convenience can perhaps 

 be best obtained by having the cows in two rows the length of tha 

 stable with their heads toward the outside wall. Generally speaking, 

 a passage of 5 feet wide at the head of the cows is recommended for 

 the feed trucks. The passageway behind the cows should be suffi- 

 ciently wide to allow of the easy removal of the manure and to permit 

 the cows to move without danger in coming in or going out. About 

 7 feet is a good width for this latter passage. 



The reverse arrangement, that is, a common feed passage instead 

 of a common passage behind the cows, is often favoured. This 

 arrangement, while fairly satisfactory, does not lend itself quite so 

 readily to thorough ventilation and greatest convenience for milking 

 and cleaning cattle. It is safe to say, however, that either arrange- 

 ment will prove satisfactory and the plan likely to fit in best with 

 the general arrangements for feed storage, feed preparation room, 

 milk room and manure storage or discharge is the plan that should 

 be adopted. 



