STABLING. 133 



which to pack, during the day, a lot of poisonous bedding, 

 and finally there is the best of ventilation, as the air can 

 freely circulate in front of the manger. Every stable should 

 have a sort of chimney, or opening at the top, to allow of 

 the bad air to pass out freely. The windows should be so 

 placed as to admit light enough that the ordinary work of 

 the stable can be done without opening the doors, which 

 should have shutters to enable darkening the stable if ne- 

 cessary, when flies are troublesome, or to permit sleep in 

 the day time, which is often necessary. The walls, if any, 

 in front should not be whitewashed, as is often done, as 

 pure white would injure the eyes. The color should be 

 made neutral by adding some brown or other coloring mat- 

 ter. A cellar stable, unless so constructed as to enable at 

 all times the most perfect ventilation, is dangerous; yet one 

 of the best stables I have seen was what would be termed a 

 cellar stable, which was simply a series of box mangers 

 running across the whole size of the building, with a pas- 

 sage-way running lengthwise through the centre, thus giving 

 free access to each range from the end, from which was a 

 run-way to the floor above ; but there was a series of little 

 open grates around the entire room near the ceiling, which 

 gave perfect ventilation. A special point I would call at- 

 tention to, viz. : not having, on any condion, a stall so 

 constructed as to have a stone or brick wall on one side, or 

 have the naked wall form one side of a stall. The temper- 

 ature of one side is so much lower than that of the other, 

 that derangement of the circulation must result, causing 

 cold and injury that is often the cause of spoiling a valuable 

 horse. If a stall is so located, line the wall with plank. 

 The construction of farmer's stables is generally bad, the 

 stalls being too narrow and short, the hay rack too high, 

 and the top part standing too far forward over the head. 

 In many cases they are but little better than a close, dark 

 box, without any adequate means of ventilation wtien the 

 doors are closed, and if they are open there is usually so 

 much draft of air as to cause cold, just as those occunying 

 a close, warm room are made to feel keenly anv swiden 

 current of cold air that may be admitted into the romu by 

 too suddenly throwing the doors open while warm The 

 sudden influx of cold air would check perspiration and ^Inse 

 the pores of the skin, thereby endangering some acute- fai rc 

 of inflammation. 



