520 AMERICAN CATTLE. 



Such difficulties, however, seldom occur, and are usually over- 

 come without difficulty in a few days, by careful usage. Should 

 the udder persist in yielding such disordered milk for any con- 

 siderable length of time, and through a majority of the teats, it 

 must be a question of profit with the dairyman whether to dry 

 her off for the shambles, or still retain her in the dairy, or for 

 breeding, in hopes of a better prospect in another year. 



"HANDLING." 



This is a technical term which we have frequently used in 

 treating of the quality of cattle, and not, perhaps, sufficiently 

 explained at the time of first using it. It applies, in the man- 

 ner we have so used it, simply to the skin, and layer of flesh 

 immediately under it, as denoting the condition of the beast for 

 taking on flesh, and its quality, as consumable beef. A " hard 

 handler," is one with a tight, close skin, with little or no yield- 

 ing of the flesh beneath. A "soft," or "good handler," denotes 

 an elastic or springy touch, both skin and flesh yielding like a 

 small hollow India-rubber ball, to the pressure of the fingers, 

 and the skin easy of movement over the flesh not flabby, as 

 is sometimes the case with a very thin-skinned, and sleazily 

 made up animal. 



A "hard handler," denotes a bad and slow feeder, and tough 

 meat. A "soft" or "good handler" denotes tender, juicy meat, 

 and a quick, profitable feeder. These different kinds of hand- 

 ling, therefore, are a pretty certain indication of the value of 

 animals, either as feeders, or in the quality of their flesh. The 

 flabby handlers, although perhaps preferable to the really hard 

 handlers, are not desirable, lacking compactness in meat, and 

 "running about," as the English butchers say, on the block 

 when cutting up. 



The term has been but little used, or even understood, in this 

 country, until within the last twenty-five or thirty years, or since 

 the " improved " foreign breeds have been introduced among us. 



