70 JUDGING CATTLE 



the shoulder there should be no slackness in the girth. The 

 ribs should be well covered with springy, mellow, yet firm 

 flesh. The loin should be broad and thick ; the reason for 

 this is that there are more valuable cuts in the broad, thick 

 loin than in the thin, narrow one, and this region in addition 

 has a high value in the view of the butcher. The hips 

 should be smoothly covered and their breadth should be car- 

 ried back uniformly. The hind quarters should be long, as 

 this adds greatly to the value of the carcass. The flesh 

 should extend far down the legs with the twist deep and 

 plump. Viewed from the side the top line of the animal 

 and the long line should be parallel or nearly so. 



124. Value of Cuts. The value of the different parts 

 may be said to be a point of first consideration with the 

 butcher. Dividing the steer into parts according to the way 

 the butcher cuts them, we find that the head is only worth 

 about ten or fifteen cents altogether, while the neck only has 

 a value of from three to seven cents. Then the cut called 

 the chuck, which runs from the top of the shoulder to the 

 beginning of the forearm and above the brisket, is worth 

 from five to ten cents per pound. The brisket as a whole 

 only has a value of from four to eight cents, while the fore 

 leg from the point where it joins the body to the chuck, 

 known as the clod, is worth about six cents. The crops, or 

 as the butchers term it, the ribs, which consist of that part 

 just back of the shoulder, is worth seven cents in the poor 

 steer against sixteen cents per pound in the best. The region 

 just below the crops known as the fore flank or the plates, 

 has a value usually from four to eight cents per pound. 

 Following this comes the loin and this varies from ten to 

 twenty cents. The upper part of the hind quarter has a 

 value of about ten cents per pound, while the lower part, 

 ranges from ten to twelve cents per pound in the best 

 steers. The neck, brisket and plates are the cheapest 

 portions. In regard to ribs the two end ribs go with 



