This is an important point

, for when cows reach too far they are liable to slip, thus causing big knees, various sprains and bruises. The surface of the manger should be finished with a steel trowel and made as smooth as possible. Gutter The gutter should be 8 in. to 10 in. deep on the side of the cow bed, and 16 in. to 20 in. wide. Constructed in this manner, the gutter is wide and deep enough to accommodate the manure and keep the cows clean. On the side of the alleyway, the gutter should be about 3 in. to 5 in. deep so the cow can easily back out of the stall. The bottom of the gutter should have a pitch of 1/2 in. from the stall side to the alley side so that the liquids will run to the back of the gutter. It should be trowel-finished in order that it may be easily cleaned. It should be sloped to a drain so that it can be flushed when necessary.

Feed Alley and Cleaning Alley The balance of the floor is devoted to the feeding alleys and the cleaning alleys. The width of the feeding alley and the level above the ground floor will be determined by the type of manger used. The proper height of the feed alley floor, where the floor is brought to the level of the top of the manger, is shown by the illustration at the top of page 143. The bottom of the manger and cow Page One Hundred Forty-six bed are on a level. The feed alley is, therefore, equally high above both. The amount of room left is devoted to the cleaning alley, which should be brushed with a broom before the concrete has set in order to give it a rough finish. The importance of making the barn wide enough will be seen at once be-cause anything taken from the width comes out of the alleys and a narrow alley is an inconvenient place in which to work. The Drains Every part of the concrete floor, as well as mangers and gutters, should be provided with a means of drainage so that they can be flushed with water and thoroughly drained. Care should be taken, however, that the walks and alleys are nearly level so that there will be no danger of the cow slipping.

Posts or Columns In planning the inside arrangement of the barn, one of the most important matters to consider is the arrangement of the posts or columns. These should be located in the curb between the stalls and in line with them where the cows face in, and they should be placed back of the stall partitions where the cows face out. Steel columns are preferable to wood posts because they occupy less space, are stronger and are more durable also, because they offer less obstruction to the light and are not subject to decay. They are more sanitary.