52 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK i. 



ultimately passing into deep thick thighs. The twist should be full, 

 and the hind legs set well apart, and not detached from the body until 

 the level of the flank is reached. The flank should be full and soft, so 

 that a good handful may be got out of it. 



The bottom line should be as even as the top and side lines ; and the 

 bones of the legs fine, flat and clean, with plenty of muscle and flesh 

 above the knees and on the fore legs. 



The body should stand neatly and gracefully on the legs, and when 

 the animal is stationary, the fore legs should be perfectly straight, and 

 the hind legs very slightly bent forwards below the hock. All over the 

 frame there should be a rich and even coating of flesh. Even the hock 

 bones, and other prominent parts, should be well covered ; and above 

 all, there should be no patchiness no hollows, and no rolls of hard 

 flesh, with spaces of soft useless fat between them, such as are always 

 found in a patchy animal. Except in rare cases, the skin is fairly thick, 

 but soft and pliable ; it ought to be so free over the ribs that one 

 could fill one's hand with it. The hair is, as a rule, not long, but fairly 

 thick-set and soft ; and in the best animals shows two growths, or rather 

 two lengths one short and thick, and the other longer and thinner. 

 When walking, a good animal of the breed presents a very compact, 

 graceful, and symmetrical appearance. Indeed, it is fairly enough 

 claimed for the breed that, in these and in some other respects, it has 

 hardly any equals and no superiors. 



The above description refers more correctly to bulls than to cows. 

 The latter, of course, differ considerably in character. The head is 

 much finer, the neck thinner and cleaner, with no crest ; the shoulder- 

 top sharper ; the bone altogether finer ; the skin not quite so thick ; 

 the udder large, and milk-vessels large and well-defined. In appear- 

 ance, as well as in other characteristics, the Polled Aberdeen or Angus 

 breed differs substantially from the Polled Galloway race. The former 

 has lived under a dry, cold climate, and has been fed in the house 

 during a large part of the year. The latter has its home in a moist 

 climate, and has spent much more of its time in the open fields. The 

 differences between the two are just such as might be expected from 

 their different conditions of life. 



The Galloway, as already noted, has a thicker skin and stronger coat 

 of hair, and has altogether a more shaggy appearance than the 

 northern Polled cattle, and does not mature quite so quickly. It is 

 claimed that the northern Polls surpass all other races of cattle in the 

 production of beef. On that point there is, of course, considerable 

 difference of opinion ; for at the present day, when the beef-producing 

 properties of our other leading breeds, notably the Shorthorn and 

 Hereford, have been developed to so high a degree, it could not be 

 expected that with anything like unanimity any one breed would be 

 accorded the premier position. Be that as it may, we think the Polled 

 Aberdeen or Angus breed may safely be said to be inferior to none as 

 all-round beef cattle, and superior to all others in some respects. 



The superiority over most other breeds, for the butcher's purpose, 

 lies mainly in the excellent quality of beef, and in the high percentage 



