FLOORS, DOORS, AND WINDOWS. 



161 



bor vermin of all kinds, lay a course of bricks edgeways upon 

 concrete, and then upon the former have an inch of Roman cement 

 carefully laid, and take care to allow time for it to harden. When 

 this is done, corn may be stored without fear of loss by mice, and 

 all that is necessary is to turn it over every fortnight if at all new, 

 or once a month if dry. Few grooms are to be trusted with an un- 

 limited supply of oats, as they will almost all waste them in some way 

 or other. It is better therefore to shut off a part of the granary 

 with open lattice or wire-work, admitting a free current of air, but 

 not allowing anything large enough to contain corn to pass. At 

 stated intervals the allowance of corn may be taken out and kept 

 in the other part of the granary till wanted. Here also should be 

 fixed a corn-bruiser and chaff-cutter, and also a bin for oats, beans, 

 and chaff. 



MATERIALS FOR FLOORS, DOORS, AND WINDOWS. 



An attempt has recently been made to revive the old plan of 

 laying an open or perforated wooden floor so as to allow the urine 

 to pass through, and thus keep the litter dry. Mr. Haycock, in 

 his "Gentleman's Stable Manual,'^ is a strong advocate for this 

 plan, but I cannot say that I am impressed with his arguments in 

 its favor. That it may save the litter to some extent is clear enough, 

 but it only does so at the expense of cleanliness, for as the wood 

 absorbs a great deal of the urine in its descent, ammonia is con- 

 stantly being given off, and the stable is never sweet. For this 

 reason these floors were abandoned in the early part of the present 

 century, when they were extensively tried, and I should much 

 regret their general re-introduction. It may be laid down that no 

 material should be used for stable floors which absorbs the urine, 

 but to select one which in itself is liable to decomposition is doubly 

 wrong. 



The DOORS of stables are generally made 

 of yellow, or, as it is called in the midland 

 districts, red deal. Sometimes elm is used, 

 but it is very liable to cast or warp. Unless 

 the proprietor is very particular about ap- 

 pearances, what is called a "ledge door" is 

 considered sufficient, the rails being of inch- 

 and-half stuff, and the boards which are only 

 nailed on, from three-quarters of an inch to 

 one inch thick. The ordinary thumb-latch 

 is very apt to catch in the skin of the horse 

 as he passes through, causing often a severe 

 wound, and on that account a sunk catch is 

 preferred which drops into a recess made 

 for it in th^ door-frame, but this is not 



U* L 



DOOR FOR LOOSE BOX. 



