TABMEB'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



the cow. -i.4 per cent in the goat, 5.4 per 

 cent in the sheep, 1.3 per cent in the ass, 

 1.2 per cent in the mare. 6.4 per cent in 

 the sow. 9.5 per cent in the dog, 3.3 per 

 cent in the cat, 10.5 per cent in the rab- 

 bit, 10.5 per cent in the elephant, 7.6 per 

 cent in the buffalo. 48.5 per cent in the 

 porpoise. In women it is 3.3 per cent. 

 The milk oi' the cow. goat, ewe and buf- 

 falo forms curds after the addition of 

 rennet while the milk of woman and 

 that of ass and mare do not. The com- 

 position of the milk of all species shows 

 considerable variation in the amount of 

 its different elements depending upon 

 The individual, time of day. season, feed 

 and other factors. The average cow's 

 milk contains about ST. 5 per cent of 



Neither casein nor milk sugar are 

 found in the blood, and the amount of 

 fat in the blood is minute as compared 

 with that in the inilk. The important 

 constituents of the milk are therefore 

 not transuded from the blood but are 

 special products resulting from cellular 

 activity in the udder. The milk fat 

 seems to arise from a process of fatty 

 degeneration of the cells of the udder. 

 Casein seems to develop at the expense 

 of the albuminous cell contents and the 

 origin of milk sugar is not known. It is 

 not influenced by the character of the 

 ration. 



Rumination and vomiting — I n con- 

 nection with this discussion of the 

 physiology of farm animals two other 



Fig. 17 — LEICESTER SH 



water and 12.5 per cent of solids includ- 

 ing fat. casein, milk sugar, and ash. 

 The milk of all other mammals contains 

 the same elements in varying propor- 

 tions. 



Milk sugar j s an animal sugar found 

 only in milk. It splits up. yielding lac- 

 tic acid which causes the spontaneous 

 coagulation of milk. The lactic acid 

 ferment is destroyed by boiling. Fat 

 occurs in milk in the form of minute 

 globules. The most important fatty 

 acids in milk are palmitic, stearic and 

 oleic, and the melting point of butter 

 depends on the relative proportion of 

 these acids. Milk contains other albu- 

 minoids besides casein. 



:r A HALE CEXTLRY AGO 



special processes should be described; 

 viz. rumination and vomiting. Rumi- 

 nants swallow their coarse food into the 

 rumen or paunch to be returned to the 

 mouth and masticated. Water enters 

 directly into the paunch and reticulum, 

 passing on into the other two stomachs 

 almost immediately. The opening be- 

 tween the reticulum and third stomach 

 or manyplies (also called omasum and 

 psalter) is so small that coarse feed can- 

 not pass through. The first and second 

 stomachs, therefore, always contain food 

 even after a long period of fasting. 



In the paunch the feed stuffs are 

 partly macerated by the action of diges- 

 tive juices, water and bacteria. The 



