General Management. 13 
off. To insure dryness of the walls, I nail boarding round, 
with shavings between. 
With regard to the flooring, cement undoubtedly forms 
the best and cleanest. Many different opinions have been 
expressed as to what it should be covered with. Sand is 
not unfrequently recommended ; this, however, is not good 
for dogs’ feet, it creates irritation between the toes, and 
gives rise to what is known in cattle as “foul.” Fine 
shavings or sawdust are decidedly preferable, and should 
be put down fresh every morning after first removing the 
solid materials. A little clean bedding scattered over the 
latter to give it an appearance of cleanliness, is like wear- 
ing a clean shirt on a dirty body, or gloves on filthy 
hands—the evil is still there, disguised. 
Washing or swilling down the floor is a necessary office, 
but it is often carried to extremes, and then becomes an 
evil by engendering a continual damp, and acting as a 
fruitful source of rheumatism and kennel-lameness. Once 
a week is quite often enough for this duty. After the 
place has been thoroughly swept and mopped, I always 
- have ashes thrown over the floor; these absorb any wet 
that may have lodged in sunken places or between the 
bricks, and in old, somewhat uneven, and broken floors 
they are of great service. In half an hour they may be 
swept off, and a little crude carbolic acid or “ Petanelle” 
dropped here and there, after which dress with the sawdust 
or shavings. 
Mr. H. D. Kingdon, whose experience in the manage- 
ment of dogs, particularly mastiffs, is considerable, ranging 
over a period of forty years, and for whose sound opinion 
I entertain the highest respect, informs me his kennels are 
constructed in stables and shedding, and formed into loose 
boxes; the flooring is composed of asphalte, and is sloped 
from the sides to the centre, and outwards to communicate 
with the common drain. On this flooring he has a slight 
sprinkling of air-slacked lime, and this is littered over with 
