Il6 THE ^JERSEY, ALDEMIfEY AND GUERNSEY COW. 



dinary circumstances, rises from the droppings and bed- 

 ding saturated with urine, and is lost, may be fixed by 

 sprinkling the bedding and the gutters with sulphuric 

 acid, the oil of vitriol of commerce ; i ft), weight of this 

 will fix the ammonia of 60 or 70 gallons of urine. The 

 liquid should be led at once from the house to the 

 liquid manure tank, which will soon pay for itself; the 

 using of sulphuric acid will raise the value of the liquid 

 manure, that being estimated at ten dollars a year per 

 cow. The cost of the acid thus used will be very 

 trifling : an authority puts it at two cents per cow per 

 week. 



The best material for making floors of cow-houses 

 is ''Portland Cement Concrete;" it is easily made, 

 easily laid, economical and gives a surface as fine and 

 as hard as stone. Grooves for giving a foot-hold, if 

 thought necessary, and gutters can be formed in it with 

 the greatest ease. A level floor is decidedly objection- 

 able ; no amount of litter will keep cows clean on such 

 a floor, A plank floor should be laid in the following 

 form : A space 5 feet wide should be left for the cow to 

 stand on from the manure drop to the manger. The 

 manure drop should be 12 inches wide, 7 inches deep 

 and water-tight. If planks are used for the floor, hewed 

 or sawed timber may be laid down to form the sides of 

 the drop ; the bottom should be pounded stone grouted 

 in cement The five foot stand for the cows should 

 have an inclination of 3 inches toward the drop. 



A plank floor is very objectionable because — ist It 



