CHAP. in. CONTOUR OF CATTLE. 93 



attention to one or two remarks contained in a paper read before a 

 conference of Shorthorn breeders in America, by Dr. Sprague, of 

 Iowa, who, it is evident, is thoroughly acquainted with his subject. 

 He dwells upon the importance of attending to the conformation and 

 consequent contour of that part of the frame of the animal which 

 contains or covers those vital organs the heart, the lungs, and 

 the liver. As closely connected with this part, he says that two of 

 the worst defects in the contour of a Shorthorn, and, indeed, of 

 all other stock, are the following: First that form in which the 

 ribs start from the spine, and go downward in such a direction that 

 they give a wedge-like shape to the upper third part of the chest ; 

 the second is a long rib, which, deficient at its lower end, causes an 

 upward curve to be formed in the lower line, at a point immediately 

 behind the fore-legs. The defects are so bad that he doubts if there 

 are any others which are so difficult to " breed out." A rump, he 



Fig. 37. Tail "Set On" better than in Fig. 36. 



says, which droops, or a forward carriage which is low, may be made 

 to disappear in the course of two or three " crosses," and so that they 

 may not reappear in future progeny; but the two defects above- 

 named, depending upon deficient vital organs within, are not so easily 

 dealt with and got rid of. It may take many crosses of the most 

 judicious kind to plant large vital organs in the offspring where they 

 have been deficient, even although this latter may have been the case 

 in one parent only. 



Notwithstanding that the statement is somewhat paradoxical, it 

 is nevertheless true that the " short ribs " (or false ribs, see 

 page 398) should be long; and in place of bending sharply down, 

 as they do in badly-formed beasts, they should stand out from the 

 spine horizontally, so as to form a level place in front of the hips. 

 This is a good " point," and should be cultivated by the breeder, 

 as it generally accompanies, and thus perhaps influences, the round 

 deep chest which is, as we have shown already, of such import- 



