122 



SILK MANUAL. AND 



definite. The color of the bald skin on t!ie nose, 

 and around the eyes, in a pure breed, is always 

 definite, and without spots. I'his last is an essen- 

 tial point. 



When horns exist, they should be smooth, 

 small, tapering, and sharp-pointed, long or short, 

 according to the breed, and of a white color 

 throughout in some breeds, and tipped with black 

 in others. The shape of the born is a less essen- 

 tial point than the color. 



Applying these marks on the different breeds 

 in Scotland, as illustrations of the points which 

 we have been con-^idering, we have the definite 

 colors of white and red in the Short horns. The 

 color is either entirely white or entirely red, or 

 the one or the other predominates in their mix- 

 ture. The skin on the nose and around the eyes 

 is uniformly of a rich cream color. The Ayrshire 

 breed in its purity iS also distinguished by the red 

 and white color of the skin, but always mixed, 

 and the mixture consists of spots of greater or 

 smaller size, not bhmded together. The color of 

 the skin on the nose and around the eyes is not 

 definite, but generally black or cream colored. 

 In other points, those two celebrated breeds differ 

 from one another more than in the characters 

 which I have just described. 



In the West Highland Angus and Galloway 

 breeds, the color of the skin is mostly black in the 

 animals of the purest blood, although red, dun, 

 and brindled colors, are occasionally to be seen 

 among them. 



The black color of the skin of the nose and 

 around the eyes is indicative of the pure blood of 

 black colored cattle, but a cream colored nose may 

 frequently be observed among the other colors of 

 skin. 



It would perhaps be hazardous to assert, in the 

 case of the West Bighlanders, that the characters 

 above given are the only true indications of the 

 pur • breed, for th( ir origin c;innot now be cer- 

 tainly determined ; but the characters given will 

 certainly a[)p!y to ihe purity of the blood in the 

 Short horn and Ayi'shire breeds. 



1 he second point to be ascertained in an ox is 

 the form of its carcass. It is found, the nearer 

 the section of the carcass of a fat ox, taken longi- 

 tudinally vertical, transversely vertical, and hori- 

 zontally, approaches to the figure of a parallelo- 

 gram, the greater quantity of flesh it will carry 

 wiiliin the same mi^asuremeiit. 



That the carcass may fill up the parallelogram 

 as well as its rounc.ed form is capable of filling up 

 a right-angled figure, it should possess the follow- 

 ing configuration. The back should be straight 

 from the top of the shoulder to the tail. The 

 tail should fail perpendicularly from the line of 

 the back. The btiujcks and twist should be well 

 filled out. The brisket should project to a liue 



dropped from the middle of the neck. The belly 

 should be straight longitudinally, and round late- 

 rally, and filled at the flanks. The ribs should be 

 round, and should project horizontally, and at 

 right angles to the back. The hooks should be 

 wide and flat ; and the rump, from the tail to the 

 books, should also be flat and well filled. The 

 quarter, from the itch bone to the hooks, should 

 be long. The loin bones should be long, broad, 

 and flat, and well filled ; but the space betwixt the 

 hooks and the short-ribs should be rather short, 

 and well arched over with a thickness of beef 

 between the hooks. A long hollow from the 

 hooks to the short-ribs indicates a weak constitu- 

 tion, and an indifferent thriver. From the loin 

 to the shoulder-blade should be nearly of one 

 breadth ; and from thence it should taper a little 

 to the front of the shoulder. The neck vein 

 should be well filled forward, to complete the line 

 from the neck to the brisket. The covering on 

 -the shoulder-blade should be as full out as the 

 buttocks. The middle ribs should be well filled, 

 to conijilete the line from the shoulders to the but- 

 tocks along the projection of the outside of the 

 ribs. 



These constitute all the points which are essen- 

 tial to a fat ox, and which it is the business of 

 the judge to know, and by which he must antici- 

 pate whether the lean one, when fed, would re- 

 alise. 



The remaining points are more applicable in 

 judging of a lean than a fat ox. 



The first of the points in judging of a leayi ox, 

 is the nature of the bone, A round thick bone 

 indicates both a slow feeder, and an inferior de- 

 scription of flesh. A fat bone, when seen on a 

 side view, and narrow, when viewed either from 

 behind or before the animal, indicates the opjjosite 

 prop^irties of a round bone. '1 he whole bones in 

 the carcass should bear a small | roportion in bulk 

 and weight to the flesh, the bones being only 

 required as a su|,port to the flesh. 



'i he texture of the bone should be small grained 

 and hard. The bones of the head should be fine 

 and clean, and only covered with skin and mus- 

 cle, and not with lum| s of fat and flesh, which 

 always give a heavy-headed appearance to an ox. 

 The fore arm and hooks should also be clean and 

 full of muscle, to endure travelling. Large joints 

 indicate bad feeders. The neck of an ox should 

 be contrary to that of the sheep : as the stall of the 

 neck of the ox has no effect on the strength of 

 the spine. 



A full, clear, and prominent eye is another point 

 to be considered ; because it is a nice indication 

 of good breeding. It is always attendant on fine 

 bone. The expression of the eye is an excellent 

 index of many properties in the ox. A dull heavy 

 eye certainly indicates a slew feeder. A roiling 



