it a practice to
dig up the floors of stables in a new house, before they are occupied, a
foot and a half deep, and thoroughly renew it, and usually it is
astounding the amount of foul earth that has to be removed. I also have
the whole of the floor picked up and renewed once a year--for choice, at
the end of September or beginning of October, after the rains have
stopped. Any moisture should be at once removed, before it has time to
soak into the floor; or, if it has, the moist earth should be swept away
with a broom (jaru), made out of a number of pliable twigs tied together,
and fresh dry earth sprinkled over the top of it. A supply of dry powdered
earth should be kept outside each stable door in a box ready for use when
required. The ordinary earth that is in the compound will not do to make
floors out of, although "syces" will use it if allowed, as it is less
trouble to get than clay (kicher ke muttee), but it will not bind, and
when trodden on breaks up and wears into dust.

Charcoal (_khoalie_).

Although it looks dirty, powdered charcoal sprinkled over the floor has a
powerful effect as a deodorizer. The ashes of a wood fire do nearly as
well as charcoal for this purpose, and can be obtained anywhere, as wood
is universally used for fuel all over India. In some stables earthenware
vessels (chatties) are buried under the floor to catch the urine. This is
an abominable, filthy custom, and should never be permitted, as there is
no more certain cause of disease. Diseases of the feet, such as foul
smelling, suppurating frogs, thrush, and canker, are in the majority of
cases caused by horses standing on wet, filthy floors.

Picketing.

In the hot season horses should, if possible, be picketed out at night as
soon as it gets cool in the evening. It is the greatest relief to an
animal to be brought out of a hot stable into the open air, even if the
actual temperature is no less than indoors. If the flies or mosquitos are
troublesome, the nets sold for the purpose will keep them off. If the net
is not sufficient, a fire made out of the stable litter on the windward
side will drive them away, and horses do not mind smoke. It is as well to
have a regular standing made with mud, in the same way as the stable
flooring, as otherwise the ground soon gets broken up and foul. The
standing should be swept clean every morning, and mended in the same way
as the stable floors are.

Bedding (_bechalie_).

There is nothi