JUDGING BEEF TYPE OF CATTLE 241 



neck of the beef animal being for meat production, it should 

 be wide rather than narrow on top, for the thin neck is 

 quite sure to be a feature of the narrow type of animal." 

 In scoring the neck, excess of length is sufficiently objec- 

 tionable to justify scoring down fairly well. A neck that 

 is too thick and meaty is hardly a serious fault. 



The forequarters of the beef animal should present a 

 smoothly laid, flesh-covered shoulder and wide, full bosom. 

 What is termed the shoulder vein by some people, and the 

 neck vein by others, is the place where the shoulder and 

 neck join, just in front of the point of the shoulder. In a 

 good example of a fat animal, it is difficult to decide where 

 the neck ends and the shoulder begins, so smooth and deep 

 is the covering of flesh here and so slight is the curve of 

 flesh from shoulder to neck. Usually, however, there is 

 some depression just in front of the shoulder, the neck 

 lacking naturally in thickness, so that even fattening may 

 not produce the desired smoothness. The shoulder of the 

 beef animal should incline well into the back. Along the 

 length of the shoulder blade is a ridge which furnishes at- 

 tachment for the muscles covering this great bone. The 

 more erect the blade, and the more prominent this ridge, 

 the less will be the covering of flesh possible over this part. 

 When the shoulder is "well laid" as it is termed, one can 

 feel little evidence of the bone below, when passing the 

 hand over the shoulder of an animal in good condition. 

 But if the shoulder is not well laid, then there will be prom- 

 inence of shoulder top at what is termed the withers, with 

 more or less roughness over the shoulder. It is also common 

 to find animals in condition with a slight bareness at some 

 place on the shoulder. It is not unusual for otherwise ex- 

 cellent show steers to lack in this particular respect. If the 

 tops of the blades along the back line are widely separated, 

 it may be taken for granted that the shoulders have too 

 much prominence, and, therefore, will lack in covering. 

 The character of the shoulder is a very important feature 

 of beef cattle, and has been given careful attention by many 



