344 MARKET CLASSES OF SHEEP 



having wool at about the same stage of growth to the wool pullery 

 department at a uniform price. Hence the department buying the 

 lambs does not discriminate in favor of those having heavy fleeces. 

 If the buyer for the packer were required to base his bids upon the 

 wool as well as the mutton yields his task would be greatly com- 

 plicated because, in estimating the yield of wool, he would be 

 obliged to determine how much of the pelt was wool and how much 

 of it skin. Hence the packer instructs the buyer to be governed 

 chiefly by the percentage of marketable meat which the lamb will 

 yield and not by the combined product of mutton and wool. 



"The weight of pelt may differ appreciably according to the 

 amount of foreign material and moisture in the wool. Should lambs 

 be very wet, buyers may refuse to bid on them until they become 

 nearly dry ; and if bids are made on lambs whose wool contains an 

 unusual percentage of moisture, the buyer attempts to allow for it 

 by the price he offers. Foreign material, such as mud, sand, or dung, 

 may be lodged in the wool, and in such case the buyer protects him- 

 self from loss by bidding less per pound for the animals than if their 

 wool were clean. Such bids usually work against the owner, and 

 hence it pays to market lambs in clean condition. 



" Occasionally the general quality of lambs may be developed 

 to such a marked degree that they will sell as prime even though 

 they are somewhat deficient in form. A notable example is the fat 

 Mexican lamb. From the standpoint of form, the Mexicans are not 

 especially attractive, since they have narrow, upstanding bodies and 

 long necks, but they are unequalled in fineness of features and light- 

 ness of pelt. Without their high development of general quality 

 they would not receive favorable consideration from buyers, but 

 because. of it, when fat, they top the market. 



"(2) Quality of Flesh and Condition. The terms 'quality' 

 and ' condition ' are frequently used interchangeably on the market, 

 chiefly because the quality of the flesh of an animal is largely de- 

 pendent upon condition. By condition is meant degree of fatness. 

 The reasons why a lamb should be fat are: (a) other things being 

 equal, there will not be so high a percentage of offal as in the half- 

 fat or the thin lamb ; ( b ) the fat adds to the attractiveness of the 

 carcass and thus makes it more inviting to the purchaser; (c) the 

 comparatively fat carcass loses less in weight in the process of cool- 

 ing out in the refrigerator and also in cooking; (d) some fat on 

 the outside of the lean meat and a considerable amount deposited 



