CHAP. xin. ASCERTAINMENT OF WEIGHT OF CATTLE. 225 



dispose of the fattest animals, and to keep those which do not fatten 

 kindly for additional feeding. As a general rule this is proper ; but 

 there will occasionally be exceptions to it. If the system which the 

 grazier usually pursues involves the use of corn or oil-cake, or any 

 other expensive article, or if there is a probability of an insufficient 

 supply, and he is fully convinced that he has a beast that is not kindly 

 disposed to take on fat, or is an ill-doer, the first loss is obviously the 

 best, and he should dispose of the unthrifty animal at the earliest 

 opportunity. 



In the country, a mode of selling cattle by lots for slaughter is some- 

 times adopted. In this case, in order to prevent dispute between the 

 parties, care should be taken to fix the precise time in which any par- 

 ticular lot is to be drawn, in order that no unnecessary food may be 

 consumed. It is a proceeding which gives a manifest advantage to one 

 of the parties ; for the farmer, unless he has been accustomed to weigh 

 his beasts during the progressive states of their fattening, can only have 

 a very uncertain idea of their weight ; while the butcher, from his con- 

 tinual practice, is enabled to form a tolerably accurate estimate. Hence 

 some have killed a beast out of a particular lot, with a view to ascer- 

 tain the average weight of animals in such lot ; but, in order to obtain 

 a perfect equality between the buyer and seller, it would be better to 

 dispose of every beast by weight, and that can be easily ascertained by 

 the steelyard. 



There are two ways of ascertaining what is called the " carcass " 

 weight, by weighing the animal in the weighing machine, and by 

 measurement. The " carcass" weight means the weight of the animal 

 when dressed for sale, the " offal " being cast out of the reckoning. 

 The offal consists of the head and shanks, the "hide," the "fat" or 

 "tallow," " entrails," and " stomach," with the blood. The proportion 

 which the "carcass" weight of the animal when cut up for the shambles 

 bears to the full weight of the animal when alive is estimated by eminent 

 authorities to be 60 per cent. Much, however, depends (see page 193) 

 upon varying circumstances of breed, constitution, and age. In the 

 Shorthorn breed, steers of 150 stones, 14 Ib. to the stone, yield on an 

 average 68 to 70 per cent, of beef of the live weight ; of 100 to 120 stones, 

 64 to 68 ; and of 70 to 90 stones, 55 to 60. The mode of ascertaining 

 the carcass weight by measurement is as follows : 



The farmer passes a string round the beast just behind the shoulder- 

 blade, and then measures the length of that string. This is, in 

 simple language, taking the girth of the animal, and he writes it 

 down. Next, from that bone of the tail whence a line would fall per- 

 pendicularly, just touching the buttock-, he measures along the back to 

 the fore part of the shoulder blade, and he registers the amount of 

 this. 



He has now the girth and the length of the beast. He multiplies 

 them together, and he has the number of square superficial feet which 

 the exterior of the beast comprises. He next multiplies the product of 

 this by twenty- three the number of pounds allowed to each superficial 

 foot in all cattle measuring less than seven and more than five feet in 



