THE GENESEE FARMER 



273 



whicli forms the pellets. To understand the mechan- 

 ism by which these are mokled, let it be marked, 

 first, that tlie ciid-duct extends from the termination 

 of the gullet to the inlet of theniauyplies, — secondly, 

 that when it contracts, it approaches one or other of 

 these apertures, — thirdly, that of these two apertures, 

 the termination of the gullet is habitually shut, and 

 the inlet of the manyplies, naturally straight, can be 

 so narrowed as almost to close by its own contrac- 

 tion, — and fourthly, that when the first two stomachs, 

 compressed by the abdumiual muscles and the mid- 

 riff, contract, they push in consequence the materials 

 which they contain both against the two apertures 

 opposite to each other, and against the cud-duct op- 

 posite to the two stomachs. The two stomachs, in 

 this manner, in proportion as they contract, push the 

 materials contained in them between the margins of 

 the cud-duct, and the cud-duct also contracting, 

 causes the two apertures of the gullet and of the 

 manyplies to approach, while the two apertures being 

 closed and brought near together, seize upon a por- 

 tion of the ahment, and detach it in the form of a 

 pellet. The aperture of the gullet is closed during 

 the act of detaching the pellet, because at that in- 

 stant the midriff is contracted, and it only opens 

 when the midriff is relaxed; and the aperture of the 

 raanypUes is closed, because at that instant the ma- 

 nyplies, as well as other stomachs, is contracted. — 

 From these circumstances, it is obvious that the pel- 

 let must be detached, as it could not otherwise be 

 seized by the two approaching apertures, — that the 

 pellet must be round, for this is the form of the cavi- 

 ty formed by the parts of the organ employed in the 

 process, — and that the pellet must be about an inch 

 in diameter, for the cud-duct, when contracted in the 

 act of forming the pellet, is about an inch in length. 

 How beautiful a contrivance, — ^how exquisitely adapt- 

 ed to the structure and wants of the animal, — and 

 how minutely and highly illustrative of the all-per- 

 vading beneficence and skill which everywhere shine 

 out in the works of the Creator ! 



One important practical lesson suggested by the 

 nature of rumination, is the proper feeding of cows, 

 in order to produce the greatest quantity of milk. — 

 If they are fed on very dry food, such as hay, the 

 greater portion of fluids in the blood will be spent in 

 the process of rumination and digestion, and the milk 

 will be scanty; but if they be fed on aliment which 

 abounds in liquid, such as mangel wurtzel or brew- 

 er's grains, and distiller's wash as in Holland, they will 

 ruminate much less, a less quantity of saliva will be 

 wanted for chewing the cud, and a large proportion 

 •will go to the production of milk, though this will be 

 thinner, and not so rich in cream as the milk produc- 

 ed from drier food. It is questionable whether cows 

 fed wholly on distiller's wash would ruminate at all 

 any more than calves, which so long as they suck, 

 hever ruminate. 



Another important practical lesson has reference to 

 the giving of medicines, and is stated a-s follows by 

 Clater: — "We may, to a very great extent, send 

 medicine into what stomach we please. We may 

 give it in a ball, and it will fall into the paunch, and 

 thence go the round of all the stomachs; or it may 

 be exhibited in a fluid form, and gently poured down, 

 and the greater part of it passed at once into the 



third and fourth stomachs. That which is meant to 

 have a speedy action on the constitution or the dis- 

 ease should be given in a fluid form. That also M'hich 

 is particularly disagreeable should be thus given, oth- 

 erwise it will enter the paunch and be returned again 

 in the process of rumination, and disgust the animal, 

 and, perhaps, cause rumination to cease at once. — 

 This would always be a dangerous thing, for the food 

 retained in the paunch would soon begin to ferment, 

 and become a new source of irritation and diseasa* 

 A third important practical lesson has reference to 

 the sweating of the domestic ruminants, particularly 

 sheep. Sweat is a production of the fluid portion of 

 the blood, or arises from the same source as the sali- 

 vary secretion employed in rumination; and hence 

 the flow of it is more to be dreaded in ruminating 

 animals than in othere, inasmuch as it greatly dimin- 

 ishes the supply of fluid which ought to be employed 

 in rumination. If sheep are sweating while they rumi- 

 nate, there will be two evacuations of fluid at the same 

 time, the body will be dried, and the blood exhausted 

 and heated by the loss, while thirst will supervene, so 

 as to make them drink till they are incommoded and 

 their temperament altered. Sweating is also hurtful 

 to sheep in other respects; for the fibres of their wool 

 are thereby deprived of a part of their nourishment, 

 which the sweat carries out of their body, while the 

 heat which occasions the sweat causes the wool to 

 grow too rapidly to acquire sufficient consistence. 



RAIN-GAUGE, OR PLUYIOMETBR. 



This is a machine for measuring the quantity of 

 rain that falls. There are various kinds of rain- 

 gauges: one of the best is a hollow cyhnder, having 

 within it a cork-ball attached to a wooden stem, 

 which passes through a smaU opening at the top, on 

 which is placed a large funnel. When this instru- 

 ment is placed in the open air, in a free place, the 

 rain that falls within the circumference of the funnel 

 will run dowTi into the cylinder, and cause the cork 

 to float ; and the quantity of water in the cylinder 

 may be seen by the height to which the stem of the 

 float is raised. The stem of the float is so graduated 

 as to show, by its divisions, the number of perpen- 

 dicular inches of water which fell upon the surface 

 of the earth since the last observation. It is hardly 

 necessary to observe that, after every observation, 

 the cylinder must be emptied. A very simple rain- 

 gauge, and one which answers all practical purposes, 

 consists of a copper funnel, the area of whose open- 

 ing is exactly ten square inches. This funnel is fixed 

 in a bottle, and the quantity of rain caught is iiscer- 

 tained by multiplying the weight in ounces by 173, 

 which gives the depth in inches and parts of an inch. 

 In fixing these gauges, care must be taken that the 

 rain may have free access to them. Hence the tops 

 of buildings are usually the best places. When 

 quantities of rain, collected in them at different places, 

 are compared, the instruments ought to be fixed at 

 the same heights above the ground at both places, 

 because, at different heights, the quantities are always 

 different, even at the same place. 



Don't over-work your cattle in hot weather. 



