The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1883-03-29
grifnltnral.


nov se y ed Nrath w S~
10 feeding grain 10 CO.'S 4 l. important
10 feed Il 10 snch way that complete d.
eeslion will be secured. The genera
practice Of feeding meal separately from
the hay. Instead d mixing i with 4, dor
not securc The conditions most favcnbls
10 complete digestion. 10 order 10 prop
etiy understood this matter, II will IL
peccssary 70 consider the peculiar conssrue'
tion Of The digestive apsasns Of the COW
and other ruminaDt. The COW has com
pound stomach. consisting OF four apart
mcn,s When coarse food like bay q
grass is cateu. II is only partially massicas'
81 VI first. aud when swallowed passes ID.
to the frat stomach or paunch. This y
The largest division Of the stomach, aud
serves as a receptacle to hold the coarse
food until the animal has time to remasti-
Gale II. When rem ssiicsiion is TO take place,
the food is gradually worked from the
first stomach into the second. which lies
close to the first and the esophagus and is
separated from the main part Of the stom-
ach by partial diaphragm. which makes
only partial separation between the two
divisions. In the second stomach the food
is rolled into little pellets and thrown back
into the mouth. After the food has been
rtmasticated, instead Of going into the
first stomach. as itdid when first swallowed
it goes into the third stomach. The food
passes directly from the third into the
fourth stomach. and the work Of digestion
is SO far advanced that the process 10
quickly completed. ''The fourth stomach
says an able writer on the subject, lis
designed to receive food only in the plss-
tic condition il assumes in passing through
the other three divisions. with the added
influence OF remastication. 1t is not cal
cuated to take in, like the first stomach.
food in coarse fbrous state, unfermsnted,
unsofiened and unprepared by the partial
digestion Of the other divisions. When
meal is fed TO the cows, instead OF going to
the first stomach, to be subjected to the
preliminary digestive process, it passes
directly into the fourth stomach as has
been proved by feeding animals with meal
just before slaughtering. The meal was
found in the fourth stomach. The prscti-
cal point to be learned from this is that in
order to subject the meal fed to the cows
to its full digestive process, SO as to secure
complete digestion as possible, the meal
should be moistened and mixed with hay
so as to DO eaten and swallowed with the
hay and go to the first stomach. The OBJ
ject to be gained is to secure IS complete
digestion as possible and avoid any waste
of nuriment or arrangement OF the diges-
tive system. This is matter we'll worth
attention of all those who feed meal to
COWS, or other rumnants. If it is not con-
veDient to cut the hay and mix with meal,
the meal may be mixed with the hay with
out cutting. The hay may be moistened
and the meal sprinkled upon it, or the
meal may be mixed with water aud turned
upon the foddering Of hay. II the meal is
fed, unmixed with hay as it generally is, it
goes directly to the third, and thence to
the fourth stomach, without having been
subjected to he softening and preliminary
digestive process carried on in the first
Consequently. the meal is liza
BILE to not be as completely digested as it
would if fed along with the hay, and may
cause injury to the animals digestive or
gans, besides occasioning waste Of food.
A small leak or little Encouragement
may absorb all the profits OF the dairy.
The most successful dairymen are the most
CAREFUL and most skillful feeders. Mirror
and Farmer.