CHAPTER VII. 

 Management and Feeding, etc., of Cattle. 



COW-HOUSES. 



Nothing is more conducive to the health, and conse- 

 quently to the feeding of the animal, than well-aired 

 and ample cow-houses. The dimensions of these will 

 depend upon the quantity of stock which the farmer 

 may desire to bring up for immediate and marketable 

 purposes. Many different plans have been adopted in 

 the construction of such buildings ; some have been 

 well and usefully conceived, while others have been 

 erected with more than necessary accommodation and 

 elegance. In the latter respect none was, perhaps, 

 more absurdly so, than that one erected by a joint- 

 stock company at Edinburgh, about fifty years ago, 

 which was ironically designated ''The Cow-Palace.' 

 The speculation did not succeed, and this building 

 stood long, a monument of extravagance and folly, not 

 being easily convertible into any other purpose. 



Perhaps the most useful and economical construc- 

 tion for a cow-house is one with a central wall, which 

 should be about fourteen feet high, with a roof resting 

 on it, sloping downwards to an outer wall of seven feet 

 in height. The total width on each side should be 

 about twelve feet. Each stall should be four feet two 

 inches in width. At the heels of the cattle must be 

 placed a gangway about three feet and a half broad. 



