Rural School Leaflet 1151 



calf has also a temporary set of molars which are later replaced with per- 

 manent ones ; but they are not considered in estimating the age of the animal. 



5. The stomach of the cow and of the sheep has four compartments. 

 The first three help in the storage and mechanical manipulation of the 

 food. The fourth is the true stomach of these animals, in which that 

 part of the digestion takes place which we ordinarily think of as taking 

 place in a stomach. 



A cow chews her food twice. The first compartment of her stomach 

 is large and enables her to eat a large amount of food without stopping 

 to masticate it thoroughly. This food is stored temporarily in the first 

 compartment of her stomach. Later, at leisure, she can lie in the shade 

 and re-chew all her food. After the second chewing, the food is swallowed 

 and passes along to the true stomach and on into the intestines in the 

 regular course of digestion. 



6. Coarse foods are adapted to the requirements of the cow. A cow 

 can consume large quantities of such coarse foods as 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 ground by-products from the manufacture of cer- 

 tain human foods. 



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

 The best food is, of course, green pasture grass, the natural food of the 

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

 succulent food, such as corn silage or roots, should be given. The cow 

 will respond in every way to special care, such as providing a variety 

 in her ration, with some succulent food when possible. 



For convenience in studying in detail the feeding of a cow, we divide 

 her food into five great groups of compounds : water, ash, protein, carbo- 

 hydrates, and fat. Her food is almost entirely of vegetable origin, and 

 the plants or the produce of plants that she eats are made up entirely 

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

 pure water with which we are familiar. 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 

 carbohydrates include the sugars and starches and like materials. The 

 fat is the oil of the plant. All agricultural books use these terms, there- 

 fore 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. 



