172 



CATTLE 



or tucks in the back, rough spots, and uneven patches of fat 

 detract from the value of this part. 



The ribs should not only be well sprung but be long and 

 carried down to help make a capacious body. This goes with the 

 strong feeder, and is also most essential with the breeding female. 

 With bulls and steers a very close coupling between the hips 

 and last ribs, or all the ribs in fact, is desired, but with cows for 

 breeding purposes some greater length is approved of. The 

 depth at front and hind flank, with a thick, full feel at the latter, 

 are associated with superior form. 



The hips should be well placed, snugly laid, and with steers 

 well covered with flesh. A wide hip in the bull is undesirable, 

 for such a feature may be transmitted and be a source of dan- 

 ger to the cow on birth of wide-hipped offspring. A greater 

 width and more prominence of hip is allowable among the cows, 

 although too frequently one sees the hip too prominent. 



The rump of a beef animal, no matter what the kind, should 

 be long from hip to point of body, be of great width, and com- 

 paratively level. This not only promotes a maximum of flesh 

 production, but it gives a more beautiful form and offers a con- 

 formation better suited to the breeding female than does any other. 

 A droopy, peaked rump is a defective conformation, obstructs 

 easy calving, may reduce flesh capacity, and certainly detracts 

 from beauty of form. With beef cattle the rumps are sometimes 

 rough about the tail head or at the ends of the rump on each 

 side of the tail. Smoothness and fullness here indicate better 

 fleshing qualities. 



The hind quarter, viewed from behind, should be quite thick, 

 coming down perpendicularly on the outside to where the thigh 

 naturally narrows. On the inside a thick, broad edge, with much 

 depth from tail head to a full, well-turned twist should be appar- 

 ent. From one side the hind quarter will appear long and broad, 

 with considerable depth of flesh to the rear. .The whole will appear 

 thick, and smoothly covered with flesh. 



The hocks and legs indicate the capacity for fleshing at the 

 hind end. If the hocks are strong, muscular, clean, and well 

 placed, with no special tendency to come together, they will be 

 generally associated with thicker-fleshed quarters than otherwise. 



