TEANSPOET BY SEA AND LAND 911 



all the woodwork they can get at ; it is convenient to 

 mention here that the only protection which can be given 

 to woodwork, that is not covered by a zinc casing, is to 

 smear it over with soft soap. Mules will not then touch it. 



Mangers might be made longer and deeper, their width 

 cannot be increased, owing to the obstruction they would 

 cause in the gangway. It is useless attempting to use 

 mangers for hay, so that hay nets should be provided or 

 else the greatest waste occurs. As soon as the feed is 

 finished mangers should be collected, washed with sea 

 water, and placed ready for the next feed. 



Great waste occurs with the ordinary board ship manger, 

 many horses throw their food out of it, and this can only 

 be prevented by two pieces of iron arranged like a manger 

 guard (p. 316). 



Hay Nets. — One secret of landing horses with flesh on 

 them, and keeping them quiet at sea, is to supply them 

 with hay, and the only way to give them hay is in a net. Any 

 other system is utterly wasteful. The mesh of the net must 

 not be large, it is surprising how horses manage to extract 

 the hay through a small mesh ; it takes time which is a 

 great advantage, as they have twenty-four hours at their 

 disposal for feeding. A hay net capable of containing a 

 pound or two of hay, should be hung from each stanchion, 

 and filled up from time to time. Any hay lying in the 

 gangway is wasted, and shows the system has not been 

 carried out. It is quite impossible to overrate the impor- 

 tance of hay nets on board a ship and their economic 

 advantage. A ship's hay net might be specially made 

 sufiiciently long to tie to each stanchion and pass across 

 the front of the horse ; the present military net hangs up 

 like a ball on the end of a string. 



Slings. — The old idea of slinging horses in their stalls on 

 board a ship has finally exploded, it took many years to 

 kill the preconceived prejudice.* All veterinary ofQcers of 



* The oredit of abolishing the use of shngs is due to Colonel Duck, 

 C.B., late Director-General A.V.D., whose views were pubUshed in the 

 first edition of this work. 



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