Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-01-05
THE cows CUD.



A gentleman lately stopped us on
the street with, 81 want you to answer
me one question: What is a cows
cud n
Certainly" was our reply. "a
cows cud is simply the food that the
COW swallowed in haste at the time OF
her feeding, brought back TO be re-
chewed or remasticated at leisure"
81 know it," said he, "and now I'll
tell you why | asked the question.
This morning saw three great strap
ping fellows holding down calf and
forcing something into his mouth which
they called new cud. On asking an
explanation they went on to state that
the calf was sick in consequence Of
having lost its cud, which placed them
under the necessity Of Supplying it
with new one. La not ask for in
formation, but merely that | might
hear what you had to say about il"
Nothing in our opinion could be
more ridiculous than this idea OF a
cows having "lost her cud, " and yet ii
prevails to an amazing extent. Posi-
bly, the fault does not all lie at the
doors OF the parties entertaining the
ridiculous notion, and stimulated by
such thought we shall proceed to
offer paper on the subject of the di.
gestive apparatus of ruminants; that
is, all animals that chew the cud.
1t is generally known that cattle are
natural cud chewers, and have no front
teeth in the upper jaw, but in place of
them hard, insensible, gristly pad,
against which the teeth OF the lower
jaw fit closely. With the help Of the
tongue in gathering herbage, they feed
very rapidly, and the food is scarcely
chewed at that time more than is sui.
ficient TO gather it into wad for swal-
lowing, when il was Immediately re-
ceived into the pannch, afterwards to be
cast up by mouthfuls into the mouth
and rechewed, when it is for the sec
ond time swallowed, and passes at
onco into the stomach.
We will describe as briefly and
simply as possible the manner in which
the successive portions Of the food from
the paunch are thrown back into the
mouth to be re chewed
It must be understood that chewing
the eud Is, in a largo degree, volun.
tary process, and can be suspended
and resumed at the pleasure Of the
animal.
When the paunch is full, the animal
ceases TO Craze, and seeking a comforta-
bic place and position, usually lying
down, it proceeds to chew its cud-I
that is, to belch up by mouthfuls the
food it swallowed hurredly in grazing,
and re-chow it thorougly, to be swal.
lowed second time when it flows over
the surface of the unchewed mass into
the paunch and boney-comb cavity,
and goes the only place else it can 60
that is TO say, into the third stomach
or apartment, whence it cannot return,
and must needs pass on into the stom.
ach or dam and pack in between the
leaves of the manifold, which il not in
frequently does in strange and ex-
traordinary manner 1t used to be
generally supposed, and it is still
thought by many Psychologists, that
the honey comb, which is smalish,
spheroidal cavity, and has its opening
opposite the fold of the esophagus,
above described, was mainly instru-
mental, and provided, indeed, for the
food as it came out Of the paunch into
mouthfuls, to be cast back into the eso-
phagus through the opening between
the everted edges of the slit portion Of
the tube but this does not seem to be
well established indeed, the process
Of rumination goes on, though these
edges be sowed up with silver wire. If
an animal be observed when chewing
the end, IT will be seen that by the
action of the abdominal muscles and
the diaphragm, aided also by the in.
tercostal muscles, that portion of the
food which lies next to the opening Of
the Gsopbagus is thrust with no incon-
siderable i0rce against the lower end
OF that tube, when that portion of it
engaged in the lower part Of it by this
decided upward thrust, is quickly car.
ricd up TO the mouth by reverse ac-
tion OF the muscular walls of the nso-
phagus. Then the animal begins chew.
ing by single stroke Of the lower jaw
from left to right; and all those which
follow are made in the opposite direc-
tion, or from right to left, and when
the re-chewing is complete the food is
swallowed again, and in q few seconds
another bolus is thrown up into the
mouth, and so the process continues
until the animal is satisfied, but the
paunch and honey comb are never en-.
tirely emptied, even though the animal
dies of starvation.