Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1909-10-08
Home Course In
Modern Agriculture
XEEH.-Mow Animals Grow
By c. v. GREGORY.
Z. V.
Agricultural DfJfSion. IOtOd State college
Copyriaht by Amer Press

Cattle and sheep nave n very larg>
stomach. which Is divided into four
parts Animals of this kind are called
ruminants. When the food is swallow
cd it passes into the first stomach.
which serves the purpose Of a store
house. Here the action of the saliva
continues. and the water which the
animal drinks Softens the food To Il
considerable extent. After n time the
food passes into the second stomach,
which forces i; back to the mouth. Il
little 1T Il time. Here 1t is chcwed
thoroughly. You have often seen
cows lying In the shade chewing
their cud" This cud Is the food that
has been sent up TO the mouth 10y the
second stomach.
After being chewed the food Is
swallowed again. This time 1t passes
directly through the first stomach to
the third. Here 1t becomes still fur
ther softened finally passing into the
fourth or true stomach. The function
simply to prepare the food to be acted
upon by tic true stomach.
After leaving the stomach the par
TALLY digested food passes into the
small intcstincS. Here 1t Is acted
upon by three iluids-the bile. pan
create juice and Intestinal juice The
chief use of the bile Is to digest the
fats. making them into sort of a
soapy fluid in which form they are
ready to be absorbed into the blood.
Both the parcrcatic and Intestinal
juices net upon the remaining starch.
completing the change into sugar. The
pancreatic juice also completes the di-
gestion of the albuminoids. in which
work the intestinal juice may also
take n small part Another work Of
the pancreatic juice Is to assist In
decomposing the fats. The intestinal
juice breaks cane sugar up into sim
pier sugars, such as glucose.
After the food has been digested the
disable portions are ready to be alb
sorbed into the blood. Digestion has
changed the fats. proteins and starches
into Il form In which they are soluble.
In this fluid state they pass through
the walls of the stomach and intestines
and are emptied into the blood.
The blood is taken to all parts Of the
body by the arteries, which subdivide
to form tiny capillaries. These are so
small and close together that a pin
prick on the skin anywhere will pierce
some of them There are two main
parts to the blood-the fluid of plasma
and the red corpuscles-which give it
its color.
Each part Of the body selects from
the blood the food materials which it
needs. Thus the bones will take ash,
while the muscles will take protein,
to build up their wornout parts The
waste. broken down parts are burned,
together with as much fats and sug-
ars as are needed, to furnish heat and
energy. All through the body there
are thousands Of little fires. To keep
these fires going oxygen Is used, and
carbon diOXide is given Off in the same
way that fire in stove takes in
oxygen through the lower draft and
sends carbon diOxide up the chimney.
In the body the corpuscles supply
the oxygen and carry away the car
bon dioxide. The other waste ma
terials. or ashes. are gathered up by
n system OF vessels called lymphatics,
which empty into the veins. These
veins carry the blood back to the
heart. The change of the contents Of
the corpuscles from oxygen to car
bon dioXide changes the color of the
blood from a bright red to much
darker shade.
From the right side Of the heart. to
which the blood Is brought by the