28 DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



or ; and it is no small recommendation to find that this breed 

 has, for several years past, carried away the principal prizes at 

 the annual shows of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. 

 Gray is a very good color, and generally denotes a considerable 

 admixture of Eastern blood." 



V. STABLES. 



We condense from Stewart's admirable " Stable Book" the 

 larger portion of the following useful hints and suggestions in 

 reference to stables and their management. 



1. Stables as they Are. Stable architects have not much to 

 boast of. When left to themselves they seem to think of little 

 beyond shelter and confinement. If the weather be kept out 

 and the horse be kept in, the stable is sufficient. If light and 

 air be demanded, the doorway will admit them, and other 

 apertures are superfluous. 



The majority of stables have been built with little regard to 

 the comfort and health of the horse. Most of them are too 

 small, too dark, too close, or too open ; and some are mere 

 dungeons, destitute of every convenience. 



2. Situation of Stables. When any choice exists, a situation 

 should be chosen which admits of draining, shelter from the 

 coldest winds, and facility of access. Damp places are especially 

 to be avoided. It is in damp stables that we expect to find 

 horses with bad eyes, coughs, greasy heels, swelled legs, mange, 

 and a long, dry, staring coat, which no grooming can cure. 

 Take every precaution, then, against dampness in your stables. 



3. Size of Stables. They are seldom too large in proportion 

 to the number of stalls ; but are often made to hold too many 

 horses. Horses require pure air as well as human beings ; and 

 the process of breathing has the same effect in their case as in 

 ours changing it to that poisonous substance, carbonic acid 

 gas. With twenty or thirty horses in a single apartment no 

 ordinary ventilation is sufficient to keep the air pure. Large 

 stables, too, are liable to frequent and great alterations of tem- 

 perature. When several horses are out, those which remain 



