220 JUDGING FARM ANIMALS 



ribs, back and hindquarters. Fat also commonly accumu- 

 lates more or less between the groups of prominent muscles, 

 and on the intestines, kidneys, etc. It is important that 

 this layer-fat be smoothly and not too heavily laid over the 

 different parts, in order that the carcass may be cut up 

 with not too great a proportion of fat to lean, or in other 

 words too much waste. Hall and Bmmett give 1 the fol- 

 lowing amounts of lean, visible fat and bone in the hind 

 and forequarters of beef: 



PART or CARCASS Per cent. Per cent. Per cent, 



lean visible fat bone 



Hindquarter 54.42 34.55 10.71 



Forequarter 59.12 26.69 13.73 



Experiments by Lawes and Gilbert on the composition 

 of the body of the ox 2 show the half -fat animal to contain 

 the following, expressed in per cents : water 51.5 ; dry mat- 

 ter 40.3; protein (lean meat) 16.6; fat 19.1, and ash 4.66. 



The dressed carcass of beef, and the relationship of this 

 to the live animal, should be understood by the judge. It 

 is important to estimate reasonably well how an animal 

 will dress out in killing, and what will be the nature and 

 value of the meat cuts. The market pays its highest price 

 for the carcass that will dress out at slaughter with the 

 least waste, and that will cut up into the greatest per- 

 centage of parts which command the best prices. 



The per cent of carcass to live weight in fat cattle varies 

 from 55 to 70 per cent, though more extreme figures are 

 occasionally recorded. Ordinarily, the fatter an animal, 

 the less water the body will contain, and the greater the 

 per cent of dressed meat. Young cattle usually dress out 

 with more waste than do older ones. Numerous slaughter 

 tests of beef cattle reported by Henry, 3 quoted from British 

 and American sources, show the per cent of dressed meat 



1 Bulletin 158, Illinois Agr. Experiment Station, 1912, p. 145. 



2 Journal Royal Agr. Society of England, 1898. 



3 Feeds and Feeding, 1910, pp. 323, 329. 



