2 ON SHORT-HORN CATTLE. 



whereas, -vvlien tlie rump is fartliest from tlie tail, the fat is 

 continued from it to the hip. The distance from the hip and 

 rump shouhl he long- and full of lean flesh ; the hips shoidd 

 he wide, especiall}' those of a female, Avhich should he wider 

 in proportion than those of the male. The shape of the hip 

 is diliicult to descrihe, hut should he something- like a round- 

 pointed triang-le, with one end hang-ing" downwards, and on 

 putting" the fing-ers on to the centre a hollow will he found. 

 The loin should be flat and wide ; and when lean, two knobs, 

 or pens, should be felt, which, when fot, will be the base of 

 two ribs, called false ribs, which connect the hip and rib 

 tog-ether in mass. The part commonly called " the space," 

 from the hip to the rib, is g-enerally recommended to be 

 short ; still it must be borne in mind that the beef on this 

 part is of more value than any other ; and if the loin be flat 

 and wide, and the rib hig-h and round, no ill effects will pro- 

 ceed from a moderate length of space, and it unquestion- 

 ably g-ives that leng'th and g-randeur to the character of an 

 animal which is very desirable : it is the want of a wide loin, 

 and round rib, and not the leng-th of space, that causes g-ut. 

 The rib should come well out of the back, and be broad, 

 round, and deep. (It has been taug-ht that the top of the 

 back and underneath the belly should form two parallel 

 lines, but there are few g-raziers who do not know the value 

 of a deep body, more especially in a Hig-hland Scot.) On 

 putting- the fing-ers and thumb on each side of the rib, and 

 drawing- them tog-ether, the skin should be thick, pliant, and 

 mellow, and the hand be filled with long- soft hair; and the 

 feel underneath should be smooth and pleasant. The sensa- 

 tion derived from a fine touch is delig-htfid to an amateur 

 breeder, but cannot be defined : few thing-s denote a g-ood 

 hard}'' constitution more than a thick soft skin, full of long- 

 hair. Putting- the fing-er and thumb on each side of the rib 

 as above described, is called " handling-" in the North, but 

 in the Midland and Southern counties it is g-enerally called 

 '' Cjuality." Whether that term had its orig-in at Smithfield we 

 need not inquire, but certain it is that Mr. Charles Colling" 

 knew of no such word as applicable to inclination to fatten. 

 "Quality" is frequently used to denote firmness of flesh, 

 and sometimes it is misapplied, as in hardness of flesh, but 

 seldom used to signify inclination to fatten : the mistake in 

 this particular has done much harm to many herds of short- 

 horns. Let handling- and quality g'o tog-ether in a fat animal, 

 and a g-ood-bred short-horn will have n'axi/ beef, under a 



