Milk from Cow to Carton

Milk from Cow to Carton

In the warm spring and summer cows graze high in the mountains. They graze in valleys, in fields, and in meadows. They eat and eat in good green pastures.

Nearby a farmer and his helpers cut grass. They dry it in the sun. They are making hay for the cold days ahead.

In winter a cow stays in the barn, snug and warm. She eats the hay. Good summer grass and good winter hay are healthy food for a cow. The better a cow eats, the better the milk she will give.

When a cow eats, she tears the grass off with her tongue and teeth. She swallows her food quickly. She does not chew it well. The food is stored in the first or second of her four stomachs. That's right! A cow has four stomachs. Later, when a cow has finished eating, she lies quietly and chews her food again. She brings up bits of unchewed food-or cud-from her stomach. She chews her cud properly, a little at a time. It looks as if she is chewing gum. Then she swallows it again.

After a cow swallows all her cud, stomachs number three and four digest the food even better. Then part of the food is made into milk. The rest is nourishment for the cow.