Art and Method of Judging Sheep. 239 



price at retail than any other part of the sheep. 

 For this reason, the back first of all should be 

 straight, with well-sprung ribs that give width to 

 the back and good depth. Then the butcher can 

 get many more pounds of these choice, higher- 

 priced cuts and will be well repaid for the higher 

 price he paid for the sheep with a broad back. 

 The covering of flesh on the back is an important 

 factor also. A broad, wide back with but little 

 meat on it is not sought by the butcher, and since 

 all mutton breeds go to the block eventually, a 

 well-fleshed, straight, broad back is very desirable. 

 The straightness of the back also adds to the good 

 appearance of the sheep. 



MEASURING THE WIDTH AND THICKNESS OF LOIN. 



Measuring the width and thickness of the sheep's 

 loin is another important point in rendering de- 

 cisions, especially in judging fat sheep. For ex- 

 ample, if two sheep are equally good in all other 

 points, but one has a wider loin than the other, 

 the latter should be given the preference, because 

 from the loin the butcher gets many of the valu- 

 able cuts of meat. Usually when a sheep has a 

 broad, fleshy, and well-developed back, it also has 

 a broad, thick loin. In order that the smoothness 



