THE BEEF BREEDS OF CATTLE 213 



short from the eyes to the nostrils, and while it should be 

 neat and refined, it must indicate good feeding qualities. 

 The horns are short and rather fine, should curve grace- 

 fully forward, and be waxy white in color, with dark 

 tips. A "spike" horn is objectionable. The neck 

 should be short and fine, and smoothly jointed to the head 

 and shoulders. The 

 shoulders are rather 

 upright, and fre- 

 quently inclined to be 

 bare of flesh. The 

 back should be 

 straight, level and 

 broad, and deeply 

 covered with flesh. 



The Strong feature in FlG ' 35.- A typical dual-purpose 



c bnortnorn cow. 



the make-up of the 



Shorthorn is the hind-quarter, which is said to be the best 

 of any breed. The thighs are wide, deep and long, and 

 well filled down in the twist. The line of the back of 

 the thigh is nearly straight from the tail down, giving a 

 characteristic squarely built appearance. As a rule, the 

 body is deep, with a good heart and digestive capacity. 

 The flanks should be well let down, making a nearly 

 straight underline. The legs are medium length and of 

 fine yet strong bone. The representatives of this breed 

 have a great capacity for the production of flesh, and as 

 they become fat there is a tendency to produce patches 

 of fat about tail-head and rolls along the sides. 



A criticism of the breed that has been made in the past 

 is that Shorthorns were too long in the legs. There was 

 probably just ground for this criticism in the old type of 

 Shorthorn, but since the breed has received such an in- 



