CATTLE DEPARTMENT. 



In a work of this kind, with such limited space, we will not 

 attempt to enumerate the different breeds of cattle and their su- 

 perior qualities, but will merely give the full particulars of dif- 

 ferent diseases and their treatment, of cattle in Texas and the 

 South. 



You will observe, in reading over the diseases of the horse, 

 that we refer to similar diseases in the cow; therefore we will not 

 write on those subjects again in this department. But there are 

 certain diseases and ailments peculiar to the cow and cattle that 

 we will here endeavor to describe, in a brief but plain and simple 

 manner. It must be remembered that owing to the large size of 

 the cow's stomach, and the quantity of food it contains, and to 

 their slow, phlegmatic temperament, 'that it takes in most cases 

 nearly twice the sized dose of most all medicines for them that 

 it does for a horse. A cow has four stomachs, with a capacity of 

 about 55 to 60 gallons; while the horse has only one stomach, 

 that will hold about 3J to 4 gallons. A horse's bowels are about 

 100 fet in length, while a cow's are about 150 feet, but the horse's 

 bowels are larger in diameter than a cow's. A horse has no gall 

 bladder, while of course a cow has. One interesting feature about 

 a cow's stomach is the mechanism by which she can raise the 

 food up into her mouth again and remasticate by chewing the 

 cud. Some people entertain the very foolish idea that a cow's 

 cud is always in her mouth, and that if she loses it by some acci- 

 dent, she will get sick. The cud of a cow is portions of her food 

 which she brings up from her stomach and chews a few minutes, 

 and then swallows it again; and immediately brings up another 

 portion. By rechewing, it prepares it better for digestion. It is 

 almost impossible for a horse to vomit, owing to the small size -jf 

 the stomach and to the peculiar structure of the oesophagus (gul- 

 let). 



[p. 271] 



