138 THE COW 



The best ventilation will be secured by a system 

 of intake and outtake air flues, the latter extending 

 from a point near the floor and carried up through 

 the upper stories to a point well above the ridge 

 of th^ roof. This general plan has been rather 

 widely popularized under the name of the "King 

 system." It should be said that the system is 

 rather expensive to install. Like fire-place chim- 

 neys, they have sometimes failed to act as expected, 

 the draught being in the wrong direction. An- 

 other plan very widely used on account of sim- 

 plicity and low first cost is merely to replace some 

 of the windows with ordinary cotton muslin. This 

 admits some light and also allows the air to filter 

 slowly through while avoiding istrong direct 

 draughts. 



If possible, a stable should be built warm enough 

 so that it will never freeze even in the coldest 

 weather. This is not entirely on account of the cow 

 herself, because she is a native of rather cold 

 climates and is probably less sensitive to low tem- 

 peratures than we sometimes think. However, no 

 item of stable comfort is more important than 

 individual water basins for each cow so that she 

 may help herself at any time of day or night ; but 

 this very desirable arrangement is forbidden unless 

 the stable is entirely frostless. Freezing once or 

 twice during the winter will ruin the whole system 

 by bursting pipes and water basins. A stable must 

 be very warmly constructed to remain above freez- 



