46 



'THE GENESEE FARMER. 



horn breed on this point outbalances the objectionable 

 fore quarter; and the animal, of all bca-sts that arc 

 fattened, a{)proaches nearest to the square form, and 

 is very justly taken as a criterion, or rule of estima- 

 tion and judgment. 



" The eye is able to form an opinion of the exterior 

 conformation of an animal, and when aided by the 

 touch, a judgment may be made of the quantity and 

 quality of the flesh and fat which are iirovidcd on the 

 parts fattened. But the inside furniture, or the fat 

 that is secreted among the intestines, is placed beyond 

 the reach either of the eye or the touch, and the esti- 

 mation can only be formed by analogy. The nature 

 of the individual constitution altogether rules the dis- 

 position to provide an internal furniture; for it has 

 been often seen and sufficiently estabhshed, that ani- 

 mals of all breeds that exhibit great fattening points 

 on the exterior do not prove so well as others that 

 waut these points, and that the most seemly outsides 

 very often aflbrd the best inside furniture, both in 

 quantity and quality. But it is a general assumption 

 that a well fattened exterior will aflbrd an inside of 

 similar provisions, though no fLxed rule can be laid 

 down or established. A ratio somewhat inverse may 

 be borne to each other by the outside and interior 

 accomplishments of the fattened condition, as the fat- 

 tening and milking propensities are found to diverge, 

 as one or the other predommates. Nature seems to 

 be unable or unwilling to support both properties in 

 the superlative degree. 



" A fattened carcass having been ascertained to be 

 in prime condition, curiosity is incited to know if pos- 

 sible the dead weight of the beast while it yet hves, 

 tad to calculate the probable value from the current 

 price of the saleable meat. Two mechanical methods 

 have been adopted to attain this object — by weighing 

 the animal, making allowance for the offal, and by 

 measm-ement. Though mathematical exactness never 

 can attend either of these methods, yet with due es- 

 timation of the influential circumstances, a means of 

 assistance is afforded of arriving at the carcass weight, 

 and consequently at the value of the animal, witli 

 sufficient accuracy for practical purposes. The most 

 .approved conclusion states the live and dead weight 

 So be as 9 to 5, or multiply the live weight by the 

 'Secimal .60.5, and the result is the weight of the four 

 •quarters. The allowance for offal is very largely and 

 variedly influenced by the breed of the animal, sex, 

 age, and accidental circumstances. The above rule 

 forms an average, and the annexed table exhibits the 

 medium of offals in fat cattle: 



In general. 



Hide and horns, 



Tallow, 



Head and tongue, 



Kidneys, 



BUuicoUop, , 



Heart, - 



Liver, langs, and windpipe, .. 



•^'nooachand entrails, 



;;.. ad, 



56 to 9S lbs. 



42 to 140 lbs. 



28 to 49 tt)S. 



2 to 4 lt)S. 



2 to 4 lbs. 



6 to 9 lbs. 



21 to 28 lbs. 



140 to 190 His. 



42 to 56 lbs. 



112 to 126 ft)9. 

 nearly to 280 lbs. 



" The animals of Britain may be classed in three 

 divisions — Short-horn, Hereford, Sussex, and Devon; 

 Long-horn, Galloway, Northern Scotch, Suflblk, and 

 "Welch; West Highland cattle, Shetland and Orkney 



Islands. The per centage of beef to live weight may 

 be thus ffiven: 



Half fat, 



Moderately fat, 



I'rime to very fat, 



Extraordinarily fut, 



Per cent, of beef in live weight. 



55 to 59 

 60 to 62 

 63 to 66 



67 to 70 



Class 2. 



60 to 65 



56 to 60 



61 to 63 



64 to 66 



48 to 50 

 51 to 65 

 56 to 60 

 61 to 66 



" These figures apply to the ordinary fattened ani- 

 mals, in heifers and oxen. 



" The most opproved formula of ascertaining the 

 weisfht by measurement, multiplies the square of the 

 girth by the length, and that product by the decimals 

 .24 or .25, for the weight of the four quarters in im- 

 perial stones. [Assuming the carcass to be a true 

 cylinder, the area is found by multipljing the length 

 by a sectional part of the figure, and here is the 

 square of the girth multiplied by .07958 (the area of 

 a circle whose circumference is unity) for the area 

 of section, which multiplied by the length, gives the 

 solid contents of the cylinder. The difficulty remains 

 in giving a certain weight to any given quantity of 

 the cylinder. It has been assumed, prooably from 

 experiment, that every cubic foot of the cylinder will 

 weigh about 3 imperial stones. Now, .07958 multi- 

 plied by 3)-gives .238 or .24 as being more convenient 

 for practice. Experiment has had a very large share 

 in fixing such rules for practice. 



" The following table of multipliers has been care- 

 fully compiled: 



" The decimals .26 and .25 may apply to the beasts 

 of the Christmas exhibition in London.] * 



" The live weighing is quite preferable to the 

 measuring process, in ascertaining the weight gained 

 in any certain time. The tape line can be used at 

 any time when the weighing machine is beyond reach, 

 and for computing the quantity of beef, is preferable 

 to the weighing alive, though it is unable to deter- 

 mine the fattening that is gained within certain periods 

 of time. 



" Arljitrary assumption must not be allowed to have 

 produced the rules that have been now given for 

 judging live stock; they constitute the natural means 

 that exist to enable some satisfactory conclusions on 

 the subjects that have been treated. Much observa- 

 tion and practice are required in order to understand 

 and apply the means of judging the different circum- 

 stances of the animal existence. All persons can not 

 perceive the tendency of these rules to lead to a cor- 

 rect judgment; long and careful observation being 

 requisite to convince the mind of their value in that 



• In the above paragraph the stone weight is used. A stone is 

 equal to 14 pounds. The above rule may be stated more simply, as 

 follows : Multiply the girth (in feet) by itself, and multiply the 

 product by the length. The number thus obtained, if multipli^ 

 by 3>i, will give the weight of the carcass in pounda. 



