42 STABLE ECONOMY. 



that a horse who has water always Avithin reach, will never 

 take so much as to hurt himself; but it is doubtful whether he 

 can be ready at all times to work. 



When a water-trough is introduced, it ought to be so con- 

 trived that it can be easily filled and easily emptied. After 

 standing a certain time, it becomes nauseously warm ; the 

 horse plays with it, washing his muzzle ; and the vegetable 

 matter which falls into it is soon decomposed, and the water 

 becomes unfit for use. The trough ought to be connected 

 with a pipe at the bottom, which will carry off the water when 

 opened, by lifting the phig or turning the stopcock. This is 

 important. If the groom have to carry the manger or its con- 

 tents to the door, the supply of fresh water will be often 

 neglected. The stables first built by Mr. Laing at Edinburgh, 

 have water-mangers in each stall. The water is supplied by 

 a pipe running into the manger, and covered with an iron slide 

 to keep the horse's teeth off the stopcock. As far as I re- 

 member, there is no means of emptying the trough, without 

 lifting out its contents, or carryings away the manger. The 

 new stable wants the water-trough — so that, I suppose, it has 

 not been found of much service. I believe they are worse 

 than useless — unless provided with a pipe to take away the 

 soiled water, and another to bring the fresh. 



Water-mangers must be made of iron. Lead is too soft, 

 and wood is altogether unfit for the purpose. They should 

 be cleaned every day ; not merely emptied, but well scrubbed. 

 Vegetable matter falls into the water and covers the manger 

 with a glutinous slime, which soils every fresh supply, and 

 which can be removed only by a good deal of rubbing with a 

 brush or hard wisp. Loose boxes or other places intended 

 for sick horses, should be furnished with these water-troughs 

 whether the stables are or are not. They should be deeper, 

 and may be shorter than the grain-manger, but of the same 

 width, and placed at the same elevation. 



VENTILATION OF STABLES. 



It is upward of eight-and-forty years since James Clarke 

 of Edinburgh protested against close stables, lie insisted 

 that they were hot and foul, to a degree incompatible with 

 health ; and he strongly recommended that they should be aired 

 in such a manner as to have them always cool and sweet. 

 Previous to the publication of Clarke's work, people never 

 thought of admitting fresh air into a stable ; they had no notion 



