DIGESTION AND WINTER FEEDING. 37 



the liver, which is the largest gland of the body ; the pan- 

 creas ; and the spleen. 



Having thus stated the organs of digestion, let us again 

 commence in the same order, and inspect the digestive process 

 itself, and see how the food that an animal eats becomes a 

 portion of the living structure ; first stating the general 

 principals of digestion, and then mentioning the departures 

 from that rule shown by the various animals of the farm. 



The first process is the mastication of the food by the 

 teeth. This reduces the bulk, breaks up its structure, and, 

 with the aid of the tongue, mixes it with the saliva. The 

 act of swallowing carries it to the stomach, where it is 

 thoroughly mixed with the gastric juice, which is secreted 

 from minute glands within the mucous lining. The peristaltic 

 or grinding action of the muscles immediately commences, 

 and materially aids the process. The action of the gastric 

 fluid is purely a chemical one, dissolving the food, thus mak- 

 ing its absorption an easy matter. Some articles also under- 

 go a complete change by having their component parts 

 altered by this fluid. The food when dissolved is about the 

 consistency of cream, and is called " chyme." It passes into 

 the small intestine, where it receives the bile from the liver, 

 and the pancreatic fluid from the pancreas. By the action 

 of these agents, it is converted into a fluid of a whitish color, 

 called " chyle," and a residuum, which passes on to the large 

 intestine, and is excreted from the system. As the contents 

 of the intestine move downward, the chyle is taken up by 

 the villi, or mouths of the lacteals, and is carried into the 

 mesenteric glands, where some change is supposed .to take 

 place in it, but which is not thoroughly understood : from 

 thence it flows directly into the blood through the thoracic 

 duct. The true office of the spleen is not known. This, 

 then, is the usual course of digestion, omitting some of the 

 minute anatomical structure and glands, and their physio- 

 logical action. Let us now glance at the departures, gain- 

 ing, if we can, any practical points that will aid us in feeding 

 our stock at a profit. 



Digestion takes place in the horse in about the way that 

 we have stated ; bat there is a peculiar anatomical structure 

 and consequent physiological condition that belong to this 

 animal, that is of deep pecuniary interest to us. The large 



