390 THE ESSENTIALS OF AGRICULTURE 



510. The ribs. The second-highest-priced cut is the prime 

 of rib, which is located just in front of the loin and includes the 

 upper part of seven ribs. In order to give breadth to the back, 

 the animal must have a well-sprung rib. Considerable length 

 of rib is desired in order to give depth of body, which is essen- 

 tial to a good feeder. A good development of muscle in this 

 region is especially important from the butcher's standpoint. 



511. The hips. The distance between the hips should be in 

 proportion to the other parts of the animal. They are often too 

 prominent and poorly covered. 



512. The rump. The width at the hips should be carried 

 well back to the end of the rump, which should be long and level. 

 A pinched, drooping rump is a bad defect. On the other hand, 

 an extremely high tail head is undesirable, not only because it 

 is unsightly itself but because it also gives the loin the appear- 

 ance of being poorly developed. A thick, firm covering about 

 the tail head is considered by most cattle buyers to be an indica- 

 tion of good finish throughout. The pin bones should be far 

 apart and smoothly covered. 



513. The twist. The thighs should carry out the general 

 width of the body and be deep and long. Common and inferior 

 animals are usually easily recognized by the poor development 

 of hind quarters, high, split twist, and lack of depth in flank. 

 Animals of good beef conformation have a deep, plump twist 

 and low, full flank. The fullness of the flank when the animal 

 is standing naturally is a good index to the fatness of the steer. 



514. The legs. The hind legs should be short and straight 

 and placed well apart. Crooked hind legs and cycle hocks are 

 very often found in cattle and are very undesirable, but not 

 especially detrimental to the animal from the butcher standpoint, 

 unless their conformation is so faulty as to weaken them. 



515. The score cardi To facilitate the study of the different 

 points already mentioned and to aid in establishing a correct 

 ideal, instructors in stock judging have prepared a score card 

 giving numerical values to the various points to be considered. 

 A score card for beef cattle is given in Appendix G. 



