LIVE STOCK breeders' ASSOCIATION. 



175 



Table I. 

 CUTTING TEST. 



THKEE GRADES OF BEEF. 



City at this time were $10.40 per hundredweight for the prime steer, 

 $9.60 per hundredweight for the medium steer and $7.42 per liundred- 

 weight for the common cow. This left the retailer a margin of thirty 

 per cent on the prime steer, forty-one per cent on the medium steer, 

 and fifty-five per cent on the common cow. These margins cover all the 

 expense of business, the shrinkage caused through evaporation and the re- 

 tailers net profit. It will be noted that the lower the grade of beef 

 the greater was the retailers profit. This is directly dependent upon the 

 correlated fact that the common cow and the medium steer cost the 

 packer less in proportion to their value than did the prime steer. The 

 retail butcher and packer make their biggest profits where the producer 

 makes his least profit. As producers we are unfortunate in having low 

 grade cattle to dispose of. There is less competition in the market for 

 lower grades of cattle because of their abundance, 



A study of this table shows that the principal difference between 

 high grade and low grade carcasses was in the rib, neck, shank and 

 loin. The low grade carcass was long of leg and neck, and thin in loin 

 and rib. 



There are a number of ways in which the wholesale cuts are 

 divided up for the retail trade, but the usual method is about as fol- 

 lows: The hind shank is cut into soup bones. The tip end of the 



