Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



341 



the skin shrivels and presents a poor appearance. Hogs that are un- 

 thrifty, unhealthy, aged, very immature, or kept under adverse condi- 

 tions also produce pork that is more or less lacking in firmness. 



4. Weight. — Packers find uses for carcasses of all weights ranging 

 from 20 to 400 pounds and over, but Wentworth and Gentry state ^ 

 that hogs with a live weight of 190 to 250 pounds yield cuts of the most 

 desired size and weight. All carcasses should be heavy in proportion 

 to their size to insure a high finish and cuts of the best shape. 



Fig. 128. — Fat and Ij.-ion cin-ises compared. Note the difference in size, 

 and especially the difference in fatness, between the fat carcass on the left and the 

 bacon carcass on the right. 



Classification of Carcasses 



The classification and grading of hog carcasses is based on the 

 uses to which they are adapted, or in other words, it is based on the 

 products into which they can be converted. The generally recognized 

 classes and grades and their respective weights are as follows: ^ 



1 Progressive Hog Raising, p. 70. 



*Louis D. Hall: Market Classes and Grades of Meat, 111. Bui. 147, pp. 252-288. 



