TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 53 



which the animal was fattened. Cottonseed meal has been 

 charged with this fault, but experimental work has shown that 

 cottonseed meal does not produce yellow fat. Cattle of Jersey 

 and Guernsey breeding usually kill very yellow. 



8. Grain of meat. When the fresh-cut surface is viewed, 

 it should show a smooth, fine-grained appearance, and should 

 feel "velvety" to the touch. Meat with fine grain comes from 

 the animal with quality, that is, one with fine hide, hair, and 

 bone. Such an animal is finely textured throughout, and if 

 well fed, so that the baby fleshing is preserved, a carcass with 

 fine-grained flesh will result. Some meats are very coarse 

 indeed. 



9. Size of bones. The bones should be as small as the 

 weight of the carcass will allow. From the producer's stand- 

 point, however, such carcasses do not always represent great- 

 est profits, because extremely fine-boned cattle do not usually 

 make the greatest gains on feed. 



10. Flintiness of bones. As already shown, flintiness of 

 the bones is an indication of age. The most desirable carcasses 

 are those of young animals approaching maturity, the meat from 

 old ones being tough, dark-colored, and lacking in marbling. 

 The bones of cows and heifers, and of dairy-bred animals, turn 

 hard and white earlier than those of steers, indicating quicker 

 maturity. 



Grading carcasses. As to the relative importance of the 

 above factors in grading carcass beef, it may be said that finish 

 (by which is meant the thickness and smoothness of outside fat) 

 is particularly essential, with thickness of flesh, fineness of grain, 

 color of lean and fat, fineness of bone, and shape of carcass of 

 about equal importance. From what has been said we now 

 understand why the loin and rib bring such high prices as com- 

 pared to other parts of the carcass; it is because of their superior 

 tenderness, marbling, and palatability, combined with attrac- 

 tive appearance. The round brings a good price because it 

 contains so much lean and so little bone and external fat. Other 

 parts of the carcass are as nutritious as the loin, rib, and round, 

 but are difficult to cook in such a way that they appeal to us as 

 do the porterhouse, sirloin, and rib roast. But a carcass will 

 yield only so much of these, hence the great variation in the 

 price of the various wholesale cuts. It is perhaps well that 

 there are cheap cuts of meat and cheap carcasses, for there is a 

 great percentage of population not able to buy any other kind. 



