Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



229 



war, as a conservation measure, the U. S. Food Administration in- 

 structed all packers that sheep and lambs must be dressed by the plain 

 or round method, and without caul or pluck. This method of dressing, 

 which is the most economical, has been continued since the war to the 

 present time, and there is no indication that the other styles of dressing 

 will be practiced in the future. Plain or round-dressed sheep and 

 lambs have the pelt, head, and feet removed, and the fore legs are 

 folded at the knees. They are opened from the cod or bag to the 

 breast, and are split through the breastbone. A spread stick is placed 

 in the breast to hold it open and properly shape the carcass. 



Formerly, in dressing the lowest grades of mutton and most lambs, 

 the caul (a fatty membrane investing the internal organs) was wrapped 

 about the legs and laid over the inside of the carcass, thus improving 



Fig. 77. — Killing sheep at Chicago. 



the appearance, preventing drying out, and, in some cases, furnishing 

 the fat necessary for proper cooking of the meat. The caul contains 

 considerable fat, and as it was usually discarded by the retailers of 

 mutton and lamb, the Food Administration rightly designated this 

 style of dressing as wasteful and caused it to be discontinued. Cauls 

 are now sent to the rendering tank for the extraction of fats and oils. 

 The pluck consists of the heart, lungs, liver, windpipe, a portion of the 

 diaphragm, or "skirt," and more or less adhering fat. Formerly, most 

 lambs were sold "pluck in," and sheep were usually sold "pluck out." 

 The pluck is now used principally in the manufacture of different kinds 

 of sausage. 



The ofifal. — In the plain or round-dressed style of dressing, the 

 sheep loses the following parts in the order named: blood, pelt, feet, 



