196 TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 



good digestive capacity. They should be placed close together 

 along the side, the last pair coming close to the hips. The cover- 

 ing of flesh on the ribs should be thick, even, and firm. The 

 side should be straight and even, the belly should be straight 

 and trim, and the hind flanks should be well let down. 



The loin yields the highest priced cut of the carcass. Like 

 the back, it should be very wide, ^straight, strong, and covered 

 evenly with thick, firm flesh. The backbone should be covered. 

 Sheep may be well covered over the back and poorly covered 

 over the loin, therefore careful handling all along the top is 

 necessary in order to judge of the fleshing. 



The hips should not be prominent; they should be well laid 

 in and smoothly covered over with flesh. 



The rump ought to be long, level, and wide, the top line 

 carrying out straight to the end of the body. One of the most 

 common faults of mutton sheep is a poorly shaped hindquarter, 

 the rump frequently rounding off or drooping on top, and the 

 sides cutting in to give a peaked conformation. Squareness 

 and fullness should characterize the hindquarter. The covering 

 of flesh should be abundant, yet smooth and free from softness 

 or bunches of gobby fat. 



The thighs and twist, often called the leg of mutton, should 

 be broad and plump as viewed from the rear, and the fleshing 

 should carry well down toward the hocks, as in beef cattle. The 

 leg of mutton, loin, and back constitute the valuable parts of 

 the carcass, and they must carry a high degree of fleshing. Wide 

 variations in the development of thigh and twist willbe found, 

 although a maximum development is always demanded. 



The hocks and hind legs should be strong and placed well 

 apart. When the hocks are close together, the thigh and twist 

 usually lack a full development. Crooked, weak hocks, either 

 badly sickled or bowed, are rather common and are very un- 

 desirable. The legs should be short and straight, and show 

 refinement of bone and joints. The hind pasterns are also 

 given attention in judging, for it is by no means uncommon 

 to find them broken down and weak so as to impair the useful- 

 ness of the animal to a marked degree. They should carry up 

 strong, so as to bring the weight full on the toes. 



The skin should be of a bright pink color and free from 

 dark-colored spots. The pink color is an indication of health 

 and thrift, while a white or bluish color shows an unthrifty 

 condition. Some breeds excel in this respect, and others char- 



