48 



TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 



The following figures show the relative amounts of lean, 

 fat, and bone in the cuts from a good carcass, as compared with 

 those from an inferior carcass: 



A careful comparison of the figures for the good carcass 

 and the inferior one shows that they have about the same per- 

 centage of bone, but the inferior carcass shows a considerably 

 lower percentage of fat and, therefore, a higher percentage of 

 lean. 



As stated in the previous chapter, the feeding of mature 

 cattle is essentially a fattening process. This is clearly shown 

 by results at the Missouri Station,* where muscle fibers and fat 

 cells extracted from steers at different periods during the fatten- 

 ing process were examined and measured under the microscope 

 and it was found that while there was very little or no increase 

 in the diameter of the muscle fibers, the fat cells increased enor- 

 mously both in number and size. 



Thus we understand why cattle differ a great deal in the 

 kind of carcasses they yield, depending upon their inherited 

 tendencies and upon their feed and care. The effects of inherited 

 tendencies upon the carcass are discussed in more detail in 

 Chapter IV. 



The demands of the butcher and ultimate consumer. The 

 questions which now come before us are: 1. What kinds of 

 lean meat and fat does the butcher want? 2. How much lean 

 meat does he want, and how much fat? 3. How does he want 

 these two substances arranged with regard to each other? * 



* Influence of Nutrition upon the Animal Form, paper by Dean H. J. 

 Waters at Thirteenth Meeting of Society for Promotion of Agricultural 

 Science. 



