484 
ON THE VENTILATION OF STABLES. 
feet from the wall. The rarefied state of the air in the stable will 
cause a constant flow of cool air through this main tunnel and up 
these chimneys; and will equalize the temperature of the stable, 
and entirely obviate the draught of wind that blows in at the 
horizontal holes in the walls of our stables, as at present venti¬ 
lated. These perpendicular chimneys may have one or two other 
apertures in them besides the.one at their tops, at different 
heights, that may be opened or closed at pleasure, to admit air 
by means of a door with a hinge and button opening on that 
side next the wall, whereby a direct current of air on the horse 
will be averted. If these air passages should not be thought 
sufficient, other horizontal tunnels, branching from the main one, 
might run from it at right angles under each stall partition, and 
terminate in a perpendicular wooden chimney, six feet high at 
each heel post. 
But supposing the stable not to be blocked up on any side by 
other buildings, I would then dispense with the longitudinal 
main horizontal tunnel altogether, and break a hole, two feet 
square, through the wall, under each manger, in each stall, and 
in a line with the stall partitions. These apertures should be 
fitted with square wooden tunnels, each two feet long, exclusive 
of the thickness of the wall, and closed at their ends which are 
inside the stable: out of each of these short horizontal tunnels 
a perpendicular wooden shoot or chimney, in height six or seven 
feet, and open at the top, should ascend for the admission of 
fresh cool air. In the ceiling, directly over each horse's head, a 
hole is to be broken through for the exit of the contaminated 
air, and a passage given to it through the roof by means of per¬ 
pendicular wooden chimneys sheltered at the tops by curved 
tiles, to prevent the descent of rain on the horses: this could be 
effected, notwithstanding that either a loft or soldier’s room were 
over the stable. The whole being of wood, the expense would be 
inconsiderable; and the benefit from a thoroughly and equally ven¬ 
tilated stable would be great. In a troop stable of sixteen horses, 
the air admitted by the open half door or window is very unequally 
distributed : the coats of those horses next the doors are staring, 
while the centre horses can hardly get a breath of fresh air to inhale. 
The mode of introducing air by holes at the bottom of stables, 
though certainly better than none, is a rude contrivance. The 
air rushes in on the animal as he lies in his stall, which the groom 
perceiving, never fails to stop them up with bedding, and thus 
no air at all gets admittance at night. 
O O 
