No. 11. 



Forms of Cattle. 



333 



of which will be seen presently. A straight 

 back is indicative of strength ; a weak ani- 

 mal is generally hump-backed; poor keep- 

 ing will produce these deficiencies in a calf 

 that was at first well formed. The straight 

 back also, denotes aptitude to fatten. Much 

 depends upon the room the lungs have ; no 

 animal can be a good one, whose lungs oc- 

 cupy a small space; and as the lungs occupy 

 all the space inside the ribs, so it is import- 

 ant that this space should be large. For 

 this reason, the ribs should spread wide, be 

 deep, and extend well back to the hips. 

 The full, heavy flank of the cow, is a most 

 certain indication of a good milker; this, 

 connected with large veins, particularly 

 those on the side of the belly, generally 

 called the milk veins, is a certain indication 

 of a good milch cow. The milk is formed 

 from that portion of blood that circulates on 

 the external part of the cow ; and as large 

 veins denote a large circulation, so it is in- 

 dicative of a good milker. The bull with a 

 deep flank, generally produces good milk 

 stock. The belly being nearly straight, 

 shows that the plates of which it is com- 

 posed are thick and strong; — when the 

 plates are thin, the belly sinks from the 

 weight of its contents. Thick plates are 

 of great advantage to the butcher, when 

 the animal is killed, as it adds much to the 

 weight of meat. Globular hips hold much 

 meat, and it is much easier put upon them, 

 than on those that are sharp. Wide hips 

 give a broader loin and more capacity to 

 the pelvis, which is of much importance in 

 the cow, giving the calf more room. The 

 hind-quarter that is long from the hip to 

 the rump, and straight with the back, will 

 weigh very heavy; and for the same reason, 

 the twist (that is the space between the 

 the thighs) should be wide and well filled 

 up, which gives great weight to the upper 

 part of the thigh. Straight legs are now 

 the fashion, and are said to be stronger than 

 crooked ones. Clean legs, small bones, ta- 

 pering tails, show fine bones — and such ani- 

 mals are easily kept, and when not in milk, 

 fatten easily. A short legged animal also, 

 is more easily kept and fattened, than long 

 legged ones. When the brisket and twist 

 are large, the legs will be wide apart. 



I somewhat doubt the propriety of insist- 

 ing upon a long body; but a good animal 

 with a long body, will weigh much heavier 

 than one with a short body; but it is much 

 easier to breed good animals with short ho- 

 llies. There is a continual tendency in the 

 produce of the long bodied animal to be 

 narrow in the breast, which is not the case 

 with the shorter animal. And as a general 

 rule, the shorter animal fattens much more 



easily. However, if the width of the car- 

 cass can be kept up, a long body is to be 

 preferred. Round bodies were formerly the 

 fashion, but the deep body is now thought 

 to be decidedly best. The limbs do not join 

 to the body of the round animal, as smoothly 

 as to the oval — there generally being a hol- 

 low behind the shoulder; — neither is the 

 carcass as heavy. Round animals too, 

 generally carry the fat upon the surface, 

 and do not mix it as well with the flesh. A 

 soft and elastic skin, is one of the most cer- 

 tain tests of an animal that will fatten 

 kindly. An animal may have the finest 

 form and the most perfect symmetry, yet if 

 he lacks the proper "feeling" he will not 

 fatten kindly. On the other hand, if he has 

 the proper "feeling" he may lack much in 

 form, and still will fatten kindly. By "feel- 

 ing" is meant certain sensations produced 

 by "touching or handling' 1 '' an animal; the 

 easiest learned of which, is the softness and 

 elasticity of the skin. The elasticity is oc- 

 casioned by the quantity of cellular sub- 

 stance (that is, little elastic bags to hold fit) 

 that is placed between the skin and the 

 flesh. As this cellular substance can be 

 discovered by an experienced " handler" 

 even down among the muscles, (lean flesh,) 

 so he can tell whether an animal will fatten 

 in such parts, and whether the fat will be 

 well mixed with the lean. But this know- 

 ledge is not to be obtained without much 

 practice. 



I have above described the most approved 

 form for cattle, and have given the reasons 

 why this shape is preferred. There is an- 

 other reason not yet mentioned. When the 

 cow has ceased to give milk, and has been 

 fattened, it will be found that she will not 

 only weigh heavy, but will carry her weight 

 upon the most valuable parts. For it is 

 known, that the butcher sells some pieces 

 of beef for twice as much as others. And 

 she can be fattened upon half the food ne- 

 cessary to fatten an inferior animal. 



I have said nothing about the shape of the 

 udder and teats, as these can be best judged 

 of when the cow is in milk ; and then the 

 best proof is milking her. Still it may be 

 serviceable to say, the udder should rather 

 be round than long; should lay up close to 

 the body ; should spread forward — teats about 

 equally distant, of moderate size, say about 

 two inches in diameter, next the udder, and 

 taper down to the point, which should be 

 blunt rather than sharp: they should be from 

 four to six inches long. The udder, when 

 empty, should be greatly reduced in size, 

 and the skin should contract so as not to 

 leave it flabby; — it should not feel at this 

 time hard and knotty; as this would indicate 



