142 



A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



Buffalo has long been famous for sheep, and Chicago is the 

 great hog center. These large markets, to a certain extent, 

 require other markets, through a live-stock exchange, to 

 classify and grade animals so that selling values are fairly 

 comparable. In small towns without regular markets, merit 

 in an animal is easily seen by men who buy if they have a 

 fair knowledge of type and its meaning. 



A knowledge of animal type is necessary if one wishes to 

 understand why some animals serve one purpose and some 

 another. There is a distinct relation of the form of the 

 animal to its special use. The race horse is light of body, 



narrow but deep of chest, 

 has splendid lung capaci- 

 ty, has slender but strong 

 legs, is very muscular, 

 and is built for speed. 

 The Arab horse, the Brit- 

 ish Thoroughbred, . and 

 the American trotter each 

 has these features well 

 marked, if he is a good 

 Photograph specimen of the type. 

 The less he has of these 

 qualities, the poorer he is as a race horse. A Merino sheep 

 of the A type is rather narrow of back, long of rib, has short 

 fine legs, is very muscular, and the entire body, including 

 head and legs, is heavily covered in folds with a fine, greasy 

 fleece. This type of sheep is formed to produce wool, and 

 has very little value as meat. The Merino sheep of Spain, 

 of Australia, or Ohio, if of the A type, are all similar, each 

 producing wool of the finest sort. The more the inclination 

 to mutton development, the less fine and heavy is the fleece. 

 The hog best suited to lard production has a short neck, 

 wide back, deep sides, large hams, and short legs; and when 

 well fattened, his body is covered with a thick layer of fat. 



Figure 32. The lard hog type, 

 by the author. 



