An admirable flooring can be made with specially manufactured paving bricks, such as those of Candy and Co., and the "adamantine clinkers" of Towers and Williamson, both of which bricks are buff coloured, extremely durable, and are not slippery. They cost about twice as much as the best blue bricks. As they are made more carefully, they can be laid with greater accuracy than ordinary blue bricks. They can be obtained with a longitudinal or transverse groove down their centre, instead of being bevelled at the sides, so as to prevent the fluid, which is to be drained off, from working down between the bricks. We have seen (p. 196) that if the floor of a box or a stall is kept covered with absorbent bedding (such as peat moss or sawdust) while the horse is in the stable, there will be no need for providing means for draining away fluid.

Blocks of granite ("granite sets") laid on a 4 to 6 in. concrete bed, are in common use as a flooring for resisting the wear caused by the massive shoes of heavy cart horses. They are practically indestructible, but have the great disadvantage of being slippery. This objection may be overcome to some extent by grooving them. I have been told that instead of grouting in the sets with cement, it is better to lay them, and then fill up the space between the sets with granite chips, over which hot asphalt should be poured; for asphalt is not so brittle as cement, and urine has less corrosive effect on it. The cost of this flooring with the necessary concrete will be about 9s. 6d. a square yard, and it will last ten or twelve years, after which, the sets can be taken up, re-dressed, and used again.

Asphalt is rather slippery for flooring, and does not wear very well. Bricks, blocks of stone, and granite will require a foundation of concrete.

Wood permanently laid down in the form of planks, was largely employed in England many years ago as a flooring for stables, and is at present generally used for the same purpose in Northern Europe. Such a flooring keeps the air of a stable in an unsanitary conditon, chiefly on account of the urine escaping through the interstices between the boards, and also by reason of the absorbent nature of wood. In accordance with improved ideas of hygiene, this kind of stable flooring has gone out of favour with us. Blocks of wood laid in a manner somewhat similar to the wood pavement of streets, are sometimes used to pave the forward portion of the stalls of cart horses. They are very durable, and are unobjectionable so long as they are not subjected to the action of moisture. It is a matter of regret that the absorbent and slippery nature of wood precludes its use as a flooring under ordinary circumstances; for being a bad conductor of heat, it forms a far more comfortable surface to lie upon than one made of brick, stone, or cement, especially when there is little or no bedding; and it does not cut up straw bedding nearly as much as the flooring materials just mentioned. Under certain conditions it can be advantageously used as a temporary covering for a waterproof floor in either box or stall. I have seen movable planks used for this purpose in the Straits Settlement, China, Japan, and Durban (Natal). By one arrangement, a shallow, slightly curved, waterproof drain - of a width equal to that of the length of the stall - runs underneath the line of stalls; the planks which form the flooring being made to fit, accurately across the shallow, broad drain, or channel, and to be easily taken up when required. The edges of the planks may be bevelled off a little, so as to allow the urine to drain through the interstices between them, on to the waterproof surface below. The planks are made of the same length as the stalls, and about 3 in. thick and 9 in. broad. The surface under the planks, instead of being hollowed out, may be flat and sloping a little (say, 1 in 60) to the rear, or may be level. It is evident that when the planks rest on a flat surface, they can be made much thinner (say, half the thickness) than would be required in the event of their having to rest on their ends. In any case the planks, when in use should be removed at least once a day during the absence of the horses, washed and dried, and the under surface should be cleaned out. The planks can be tarred over or soaked in asphalt in order to lessen their power of absorbing moisture. This form of floor drains off the urine rapidly, especially if openings be made between the planks at convenient distances and of suitable size. I have found that its employment does not entail more labour in cleaning out than the usual arrangement, and that its only drawback is the necessity for extra space for washing and drying the planks. A somewhat similar plan, except that the floor is formed of a frame of trellis wood-work which rests on a flat waterproof under-surface, is sometimes used for stalls and boxes in England. The trellis work has the advantage of being less slippery than planks. It is almost needless to say that this employment of wood should be restricted to stalls and boxes.

Cobble stones (bowlers, kidney stones, or pebbles), form a cheap flooring; but have the serious disadvantages of giving an uneven bearing to the horses' feet; of being more or less uncomfortable to lie upon; of allowing moisture to soak in between the interstices of the stones; of being difficult to keep clean; and of cutting up straw bedding to a much greater extent than any other kind of flooring material, except perhaps granite blocks. The unevenness of their surface and the difficulty of keeping them clean and dry can be more or less reduced by the use of moss litter or sawdust as a bedding.

In cases where it is impossible to have a properly laid down waterproof floor, a fairly efficient makeshift may be obtained from one of good clay; provided that the cubic content of the stable is on a liberal scale, and that there is free ventilation, so as to carry off the excess of ammonia. The clay in the stalls and boxes should be kept covered with sand or peat moss, so as to soak up the urine. All the soiled portions of such a floor, as well as the soiled bedding, should be removed at least twice a day and fresh sand or peat moss laid down. Also, from time to time, the surface of the clay, say, to a depth of a foot or 18 in., should be removed and fresh clay put down. These clay floors are used in India, in the Russian remount depots, and in many other parts of the world. I have heard that rammed chalk, the tainted surface of which should be removed as may be required, is another makeshift which acts fairly well, especially as it is not slippery.