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very near to inhabited, dwellings. Others are almost underground; 20
have inhabited rooms over them; many are completely shut in
amongst houses densely peopled so that there is little or no circulation
of air, and the noxious exhalations from them are allowed to
stagnate and accumulate. In some instances the sheds may be said
to form parts of dwelling houses. In respect to their size there is
great variety; the cubic capacity of some sheds is not more than 400
cubic feet, and used for a single cow, whilst others contain 30,000
cubic feet, and hold from 50 to 60 cows. The cubic space allowed for
each cow is in some as low as 230 feet, whilst a few give from 1000
to 1,500 feet, which is not at all more than the cows require. There
are 65 sheds in which each cow has less than 500 feet allowed to it.
As regards Paving there are very few in a satisfactory state; the
material employed is various; in the best it is asphalte or flags. The
most usual material is bricks; these even when well laid are not quite
free from objection on account of their porosity, allowing liquids to
saturate and pass through them to the subjacent soil; but in the
majority of cases the bricks are very badly laid. There are 30 sheds
whose paving is of the worst description.
As to Drainage, about half are not to be complained of, whilst
from 20 to 30 are very bad. In some instances the drains pass under
dwelling houses, and thus usually create a great nuisance.
Yery few are efficiently ventilated, whilst from 40 to 50 are as
bad as they can be in this respect. The object of some cowkeepers is
to keep their cows as hot as possible, seeing that warmth favors the
formation of cream, whilst the general health of the cow suffers.
The effect of a great difference in temperature between the interior of
the shed and the external air is to produce very violent drafts whenever
there is an opening into the shed, and the cows from being
constantly kept too warm are especially susceptible to colds and
inflammation of the lungs from these occasional currents of cold air.
The ventilation should be so arranged as to be constant and not
attended with a perceptible draft. About 40 of the sheds are kept in
a most filthy condition.
Of the Yards, some are large, well paved and drained, and tidily
kept. In 16 instances there are no yards, so that the manure and
fodder are either placed in the road or in the sheds themselves. Many
yards are unpaved, or with the pavement in deep holes, and very
badly drained. Seven sheds are without water supply. The Manure
is kept too long on the premises in 76 cases. In 63 there is no
suitable pit for it; in scarcely any is the place covered over.
Occasionally the manure heap is immediately under the windows of
dwellings houses, and is in some instances the receptacle for the