ANIMAL FORM AN INDEX OF QUALITIES. 381 



A fine, long, and mossy coat, that is soft tinder 

 the hand, is an indication of a good feeder, and the 

 fat, as a rule, will be well distributed, giving a good 

 quality of fine-grained, marbled flesh. If the coat is 

 short and fine, the animal may feed well ; but there 

 will be a tendency to the formation of internal fat, 

 instead of that uniform distribution throughout the 

 system that is desirable. 



A harsh, coarse, wiry coat is an indication of poor 

 feeding quality and late maturity. 



In animals of good quality the skin is soft and 

 elastic, of moderate thickness the latter point, how- 

 ever, varying somewhat with the breed yielding 

 readily to the fingers when the animal is in moderate 

 condition, but increasing in firmness and substance as 

 the animal " ripens," from the ample development of 

 fat in the cellular tissue. 



A harsh, hard, and unyielding skin, in which the 

 capillary circulation is always impaired, indicates a 

 slow feeder and an inferior quality of flesh ; while, in 

 the opposite extreme, a thin, flabby skin, that can be 

 readily raised in loose folds, denotes a weak consti- 

 tution, and soft, oily fat, in connection with coarse, 

 stringy flesh, that is readily recognized on the block 

 by its lack of firmness. In the last-described condi- 

 tion the skin may be well supplied with capillary ves- 

 sels ; but the circulation is not vigorous, and it is liable 

 to be disturbed by the slightest exciting causes. The 

 extremes of softness and harshness represent widely- 

 different conditions of the circulation, that are not 

 compatible with a vigorous and efficient performance 

 of the function of nutrition. 



