64 JUDGING CATTLE 



very carefully as the back rib and loin is the most valuable 

 part in the butcher's point of view. After handling the back 

 carefully, the covering of the ribs should also be observed 

 very closely. It is considered a good method for determin- 

 ing the quality of the flesh to gently push the ends of the 

 fingers between the ribs. If there is no natural flesh or muscle 

 there, the ends of the fingers are easily inserted in this 

 region but if the flesh is of the best quality and it is mostly 

 muscle the ends of the fingers cannot be inserted very far 

 between the ribs. To estimate the character of the skin and 

 the mellowness of the flesh, the skin is generally lifted be- 

 tween the first finger and the thumb and its quality carefully 

 noted. Then with the fingers flat gentle pressure against 

 the rib reveals the mellowness or firmness of the flesh. The 

 thickness of the loin is an exceedingly important point and 

 one of the ways of determining this is to push the 

 back of the hand in at the lower level of the loin and then 

 note the distance from the top of the loin to the back of the 

 hand. Leaving this point the fullness and characteristics of 

 the hind quarter are observed, then the fullness of the flank 

 and the cod, which make the criticism of the one side of the 

 animal complete. Standing squarely behind it, the develop- 

 ment of the hind quarter is noted after which it is only nec- 

 essary to pass down the other side very similar to that which 

 has been followed on the right side. 



The steer may be considered from two points of view. The 

 first has to do with the qualities of the store steer or feeder 

 to be fattened, while the other refers to the merits of the 

 prime steer that is ready for the butcher. 



III. Store Steers. It is a common practice in some com- 

 munities for the stockmen to buy young steers with the 

 object of feeding them for market. The steers are generally 

 procured in the early fall, fed through most of the winter 

 months and put on the market in the spring or early sum- 

 mer. The most forcible factors in determining the profits 



