Rural School Leaflet 1209 



into the abomasum. It is in this compartment that the food is mixed with 

 the gastric juice for stomach digestion. The inner mucous membrane 

 of the abomasum is soft and velvety and is arranged in spiral folds about 

 one and one-half inches wide. On the folds are found the cells that secrete 

 the gastric juice, and by the aid of these folds, the food is thoroughly 

 mixed with the digestive fluid. 



From the abomasirm the digested food passes to the intestine. The 

 remainder of the digestive process in ruminants is similar to that of other 

 animals. 



III. FOOD AND CARE OF COWS 



E. S. Savage 



All cows deserve better treatment tlian they receive, for they supply 

 milk, butter, and cream while they live, and even after they die their 

 skins are made into shoes and robes and coats to keep mankind warm. 

 Beef, the meat that they yield, is an im]oortant article of food. 



Feed. — Coarse feeds are adapted to the requirements of the cow, and 

 she can consume large quantities of hay, cornstalks, and the like. Under 

 modern conditions, when cows are yielding large quantities of milk, a large 

 amount of grain also is fed. The grain is made up of ground cereals or of 

 gnnmd by-products from the manufacture of certain human foods. 



Succulent foods are peculiarly adapted to the needs of the dairy cow. 

 The l)est food is, of course, green pasture grass, the naltuTil food of the 

 cow. At all times of the year when jiasture is not available, some 

 succulent food, such as corn silage or roots, should 1)e given. The cow 

 will respond in every way to special care, such as ])roviding a variety 

 in her ration, with some succulent food when possible. 



For convenience in studying in detail the feeding of a cow, her food 

 is (li\'i(led into five groups of compounds: water, ash, protein, carbo- 

 hydrates, and fat. Her food is almost entirely of vegctal)le origin, and 

 the plants or the ])roducts of plants that she cats are made up entirely 

 of these groups of materials. The water in the plant is the same as any 

 pure water. It serves the plant in two important ways: by filling out 

 the cells and thus helping in the support of the plant ; and by transporting 

 the food from the roots, or from wherever it is made, to those cells that 

 need food. The ash of the plant is the mineral matter. The protein is 

 the nitrogenous part of the plant tissue. The earbohydratcs include the 

 sugars, the starches, and like materials. The fat is the oil of the plant. 

 All agricultural books use these terms; therefore the teacher should help 

 the children to become familiar with them. 



It is not easy to give common examples of the ash or of the protein of 

 plants. These groups are intimately associated with the life of the plant 

 and are present in all parts of it. 



