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THE RURAL EFFICIENCY GUIDE STOCK 



suitable prices to insure a fair margin when they are returned to market in 

 finished form. A market classification of cattle can be found in the market re- 

 ports of any reliable live stock journal which should always be consulted carefully 

 during the seasons of buying and selling live stock of any class. The following 

 classification without market prices is submitted. "Class" indicates the use to 

 which cattle are put, and "Grade" the quality or degree of fitness of the animal in 

 a given class. 



MARKET CLASSES AND GRADES OF CATTLE. 



STAGS. 



The Most Desirable Type of Beef Cattle. What are classified on the 

 general market as beef cattle, constitutes the most desirable type of cattle on the 

 market. In general this type includes animals that are blocky in form, with a 

 short, broad head, a short neck, and a broad, deep, low set body with straight 

 and parallel top and bottom lines. In finished form there is a thickness and 

 mellowness of flesh over the entire body, indicating a finished condition. Beef 

 cattle have the characteristic disposition of taking on fat over the entire body, more 

 or less of which is mixed with muscle fibers to produce the rich, marble con- 

 dition so much appreciated in a good carcass of beef. The steer that is compact, 

 with a short, broad back, wide top line, deep, thick thighs, and a full twist, not 



