122 BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



of a simple diagram, the relation of classes and grades may 

 be shown as follows: 



CLASSES GRADES 



Prime 



fBeef cattle. 



BEEF TYPE j Butcher stock 



[Stackers and feeders 



Choice 



Good 



Medium 



Common 



Inferior 



All markets do not have exactly the same classes and 

 grades of stock. The larger a market, the more the dealers 

 divide animals into classes and grades, for the widest demand 

 for different kinds here exist. In the small market not so 

 much attention is paid to the details of class; but the dealers 

 are quick to recognize the merits of a grade. In 

 some markets we find the people more interested 

 in one kind of stock than another. St. Louis is a noted 

 horse market, 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 capacity, has 

 slender but strong legs, is very muscular, and is built for 

 speed. The Arab horse, the British Thoroughbred, and the 

 American trotter each has these features well marked', if he 

 is a good specimen of the type. The less he has of these 



