h longer, and they are
only worth about Rs. 2 each. Very few people ever think of cleaning out
the well, but it should be done at least once a year, as it is surprising
the amount of rubbish, such as dead leaves and vegetation, gets into it.
The landlord of the house should undertake this, but it is generally
difficult to get him to do it without the tenant threatening to do it
himself and deduct the cost out of the rent. There are professional
well-cleaners in Northern India, who will do the work by contract. As a
rule, it takes about three days, as the well has to be pumped dry by
working the lifting wheel with relays of bullocks day and night, when a
man goes down and removes the accumulation of rubbish from the bottom.
Care should be taken to first lower down a lighted candle, or throw a
bundle of lighted straw down before any one is allowed to descend, as
there is frequently an accumulation of foul gas at the bottom, and I have
known more than one accident from neglect of this precaution. Unless I had
very good reason for knowing that the well had been lately cleaned, I
always had this done on going into a new house. If this is neglected, the
water during the rainy season is apt to get very foul, and I have known
severe outbreaks of illness from this cause both in men and animals.

AIR AND VENTILATION.

Stables.

Nothing is worse for horses than close, ill-ventilated stables, and in
India, where they are made out of such cheap material as mud and sun-dried
brick, there is no excuse for their being too small. In some of the newer
houses, stables are made out of burned brick; but I prefer the older ones
of mud or sun-dried brick, as the walls are generally thicker, and this
makes them cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. It is also of
importance that they should not be too low, but of the two evils I should
prefer a small stable with a lofty roof to a larger one with a low one,
provided there was ventilation in the top. Every stable should have a good
deep verandah round it; it not only keeps off the sun in the summer, but
is useful to put bedding, etc., in during the rain. If there is no
verandah, one can be easily made with the flat straw screens used by
natives, called "jamps," and bamboo supports. The doorways should be high
and wide, so that there is no danger of the horse hitting his hips or head
against it in going in and out. A fractured hip-bone is frequently caused
by horses rushing thro