Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



43 



by feeding than we can adcl quality, or a better head, or a straighter 

 top line. All these are breeding problems — not feeding problems. 

 Feeding will fatten a steer, increase his weight, and improve his form 

 and appearance, but it has little or no effect upon the proportion of 

 natural flesh in his make-up. The degree of fatness shown by a steer 

 is referred to as his "condition," and this feature will now be discussed. 

 Condition. — In comparison with dairy cattle, one of the most dis- 

 tinctive features of beef cattle is their ability to fatten easily and to 

 deposit the fat in and around the muscles, thereby making the meat 

 tender and juicy. As pointed out above, the feeding of beef cattle is 



Fig. 8. — A "rare good one." California Favorite, a Hereford-Shorthorn 

 crossbred senior steer calf, grand champion at the 1916 International Show. Bred, 

 fed, and exhibited by the University of California. Weight 1,130 pounds. Sold for 

 $1.75 per pound. His form, quality, and covering of flesh were almost faultless. 



largely a fattening process. The practical feeder knows, however, that 

 it is not profitable to feed an animal up to its limit of fatness, because 

 the last gains a steer makes are most costly, and such animals do not 

 suit the consumer of beef as well as a steer fattened in moderation. 

 Thin cattle are characterized by a very firm fleshing, so that when the 

 finger-tips are pressed on the back and ribs the flesh is found to be hard 

 and unyielding. When such cattle are properly fattened a decided 

 change takes place; the flesh now has a mellow, yet firm and springy 



