78 HORSES. 



titles. They are a great annoyance from causing much irrita- 

 tion about the fundament. A dose of physic will bring away 

 a great number. If they exist in the rectum, an injection of 

 linseed oil, or of an ounce of aloes dissolved in warm water, is 

 the most effectual remedy. 



CARE OF HORSES. 



That proper care and hygienic conditions conduce to the 

 welfare and longevity of horses is proved by the carefully pre- 

 served statistics of the army horses, and also of the great studs 

 kept by omnibus and other trading companies who employ large 

 numbers of animals. 



Stables should be lofty and well ventilated but free from 

 draught. Ventilation properly carried out ought to ensure 

 these conditions. Bad air, as that on shipboard, irritates the 

 mucous membranes and produces catarrh. Because chills were 

 first recognised as a cause of catarrh, the disease was properly 

 named "cold" or a cold. The vitiated atmosphere of a town 

 stable of the old type is, however, a much more frequent source 

 of catarrh than exposure to inclement weather. Young horses 

 coming up to London in the pink of health are just the ones to 

 be affected by the foul air, and many losses are sustained by 

 owners of animals which fail to become acclimatised. 



Horses at work are estimated to consume about 16,000 cubic 

 feet of air per hour. The amount of cubic space in a stable is 

 not, however, an absolute measure of its air capacity, as in two 

 stables of exactly the same size, the exhausted air may pass out 

 rapidly in one and pure air be as freely drawn in, while in the 

 other the arrangements may be such as to prevent free circula- 

 tion. The heavier gases are the slower to diffuse themselves, 

 but ammonia, which is such a light gas and so large a product 

 of the horse stable, quickly vitiates the atmosphere unless the 

 ventilation is on sound principles. 



DRAINAGE OF NO LESS IMPORTANCE. 



No drain inside a stable should be covered. The master 

 can then see at a glance if the gutters have been cleansed, 

 and no stale dung and urine can accumulate without the 



