30 Domestic ANIMALS. 
6. Draining.—A gutter or other contrivance fer carrying off 
the urine should always be made in a stable, otherwise it will 
be foul and damp. It should be conveyed into a tank and care- 
fully saved as manure. 
7. Racks and Mangers.—These should be so placed that the 
horse can eat from them with ease. The face of the rack next 
the horse should be perpendicular, or as nearly so as possible, 
Sometimes the face is so sloping and the rack so high that the 
horse has to turn his head almost upside down to get at his food. 
The mangers or troughs from which the horse eats his grain 
are now sometimes made of cast iron, which we deem a great 
improvement over wood. The manger should be concave and 
not flat at the bottom. Mangers are generally placed too low. 
The bottom should be from three feet and a half to four feet 
from the ground, according to the height of the horse. 
8. Ventilation of Stables—Impure air, as we have already 
remarked, is hurtfulto the horse as well as to the human being 
inducing disease and shortening life. To avoid it in our own 
case, we (sometimes!) ventilate our houses. If we would have 
our horses healthy we must do the same for the stable. Aper- 
tures, one fur each stall, should be provided for carrying off the 
impure air. These should be so near the top of the building as 
practicable. It should be eight or ten inches square. Smaller 
apertures near the floor or not far from the horse’s nostrils will 
serve to admit fresh air.* 
9. Warmth, etc.—If you wish to have your horses thrive 
and continue healthy, you can not pay too much attention to 
their comfort. Their stables should be warm in winter and 
cool in summer. To secure these conditions, they should be 
properly constructed. [For plans, see ‘‘The House.”] To keep 
stables sufficiently warm, no artificial means are required. It 
is enough that the outside air, except so much as is required 
for ventilation, be excluded during the coldest weather. Warm 
blankets should of course be used at the same time. 
® See Chap‘er on Barns and Stables, in “ The House ” 
