274 VETEEINAEY HYGIENE 



or may not be sold, but the scheme of stable construction 

 is quite uninfluenced by any question of manure, while in 

 the case of cow and cattle houses it is the primary con- 

 sideration. Hence, though the general principles of con- 

 struction must remain the same for the two animals, yet 

 the details differ widely. 



Site, Soil, Aspect. — It is usual to discuss the question of 

 site in dealing with buildings, but it must be apparent that 

 in towns and cities the question of a suitable site does not 

 enter into the matter, such land as may be available has to 

 be utilized. So in the same way aspect, sunlight, protection 

 from cold winds, water supply, drainage, are all questions 

 which in the case of towns and cities are never given the 

 least consideration, for the very good reason that it is 

 seldom any choice can be exercised, as any available piece 

 of ground is secured, and the best made of it. 



The worst soils that can be selected for building purposes 

 are low-lying sites near rivers, where the ground is more or 

 less alluvial, viz., very largely composed of organic matter 

 washed down by the river. We are well aware that the 

 banks of our tidal rivers in the vicinity of cities are built 

 upon to the water's edge, and often on reclaimed ground, 

 but such sites from a sanitary point of view are un- 

 desirable. 



Eeclaimed ground especially in the vicinity of cities is 

 most undesirable, as a rule it has been reclaimed by the 

 deposition of refuse, and this takes some years, probably 

 never less than three, before it is fully destroyed ; such 

 sites are if possible to be avoided. 



In the country it is possible to give these questions some 

 consideration. In the matter of building a homestead, 

 it is evident that the driest soil on the farm should be 

 selected, a deep gravel or chalk for choice and not a clay. 

 There are, it is true, other considerations which influence 

 the choice of site, such as having the homestead in a fairly 

 central position, and its proximity to a good road or railway 

 station, but these should not overrule the question of a 

 dry soil. 



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