24 THE STOCKFEEDER'S COMPANION 



VIII. MASTICATION, RUMINATION, AND 

 DIGESTION. 



Mastication. In the case of the horse (non- 

 ruminant), the food is taken into the mouth, where it 

 is chewed or masticated. This has the dual effect of 

 grinding the food down into a fine state of division so 

 that the digestive juices may more effectively act on 

 the food, as well as mixing it with the " alkaline" saliva 

 which is secreted in the mouth. The saliva contains 

 a ferment called " ptyalin," which acts on the starchy 

 part of the food, converting it into sugar (maltose). 



Apparently saliva is secreted in inverse ratio to the 

 amount of water in the food. This means that, with 

 succulent foods like grass, less saliva is secreted than 

 would be the case with drier foods, such as hay and 

 meals. Professor Pawlow (Russia) found with dogs 

 that the quantity of saliva varied much more with the 

 composition and quality of the food, than the appetite of 

 the dog. No doubt the same thing applies to the horse. 



The food is then swallowed and passes on into the 

 stomach, but the saliva continues to act on the 

 starchy part of the food until the latter comes in 

 contact with the gastric juice of the stomach, which, 

 on account of its acidity, destroys the alkaline nature 

 of the saliva and thus prevents its action. 



With ruminants the process is more complicated, due 

 to the very large size and peculiar shape of the stomach. 



Stomach of a Ruminant. This is made up of four 

 compartments, .namely : 



(1) The paunch (rumen). 



(2) The honeycomb (reticulum). 



(3) The manyplies (omasum). 



(4) The rennet stomach (abomasum). 



