17B MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



a patchy tailhead. The straightness of the underline is in direct relation 

 to the depth at which the back portion of the thigh extends downward. 

 Not one of you gentlemen can call to mind an animal whose back thigh 

 cut off too high up that was not tucked up in flank. With all of these 

 lines parallel the large heart girth is also insured. However, with all 

 of these points considered, the breeder has obtained the form only, of the 

 profitable animal. He must now look to the quality and character of the 

 animal, which so quickly captivates the eye of the buyer when the product 

 is ready for market. These two essential points can be determined, .only 

 by indication. A good feeding animal should have a soft, mellow, medium 

 thick hide, covered with a dense, mossy coat, as the outer indications are 

 in direct relation to the inner vital organs of circulation and digestion. 

 If the coat is harsh and wiry or the hide thick, coarse and unyielding to 

 the touch, then the blood circulation is sluggish and the digestive organs 

 are lacking in strength. The head should be broad between a pair of 

 prominent, yet placid eyes, then short from this portion of the head to 

 the nose; large nostrils are indicative of a rugged constitution and a large 

 mouth is always to be desired. Although these points are simply indi- 

 cations, a steer which does not possess them will always be found lacking 

 in the feed lot and when sent to market. Good, firm bone is desired, but 

 this does not mean a great coarse bone. Coarse boned animals are in- 

 variably rough animals, and such never feed out in a smooth, finished con- 

 dition. To sum up, then, the animal for which we must strive to raise 

 is one good in these points with no tendency toward the wedge-shape, 

 one of good, firm quality, showing plenty of character and style. Many 

 may say we cannot eat character and style, but yet, to have a smooth, 

 deeply fleshed steer, these points are found to be essential. 



In breeding such animals we do so to please the butcher, who sets 

 the price on our product when it is finished and goes to market. Wliat 

 he wants is best exemplified by the price which the wholesale dealer sells 

 the different cuts to the retailer. From a good carcass of a 1750 pound 

 steer, dressing 1,022 pounds of edible meat, the loin, which is the choicest 

 portion of the carcass, weighs 183 pounds and sells for 19 cents per pound. 

 Next in value is the rib, weighing 113 pounds, selling at 16^ cents per 

 pound ; the round, weighing 241 pounds, sells at 6 cents per pound ; the 

 ])late, weighing 162 pounds, sells for 3^ cents per pound ; the shank, 

 weighing 58 pounds, sells for 23/2 cents per pound, while the cheapest por- 

 tion, the flank, weighing 34 pounds, sells for 2 cents per pound, or, in 

 other words, the ribs and loins of a good carcass of beef constitute only 

 28 per cent, of the carcass, yet, they sell for nearly 64 per cent, of the en- 

 tire value. 



Considering this, can we wonder at the butchers bearing so much 

 stress on the breadth, depth and thickness of covering of the loin and rib, 



