JUDGING BEEF STOCK FOR BREEDING PURPOSES 73 



II. JUDGING BEEF STOCK FOR BREEDING PURPOSES. 



In judging beef stock for breeding purposes, the 

 breeder must have in view the demands of his own in- 

 terests, and yet those of the feeder and butcher must 

 also receive due consideration. For this reason the de- 

 sirable qualities that are sought for in feeding stock, the 

 features that make the animal valuable to the butcher 

 and the attributes that the breeder knows to be of value, 

 must all have proportionate consideration. Those of the 

 feeder's and the butcher's type have been discussed, so 

 that it is required to comment only on the peculiar fea- 

 tures that are especially valuable from the breeder 's point 

 of view. There are two features of this kind that be- 

 cause of their importance deserve special emphasis in 

 the judging of breeding stock in the beef classes, and 

 these are the possession of all the evidences of constitu- 

 tion in combination with deep natural flesh. The breeder 

 to appreciate his work must rely greatly on the constitu- 

 tion of his animals, for it is this that guarantees thrift 

 and vigorous reproduction. 



The other feature of special importance in beef stock 

 is that of natural flesh. Natural flesh means the posses- 

 sion of muscle or red meat with which an animal must 

 be born to make a carcass for the butcher's block that is 

 properly mixed in fat and lean. 



There is no feature of more value in the breeding of 

 beef stock than that of having natural flesh characteristic 

 of all animals in the herd, and there is likely no other 

 quality which is transmitted with more certainty than 

 this. 



125. Judging Beef Bulls. In form and condition those 

 qualities which mark the feeder's and butcher's ideal 

 should be strikingly shown in the beef sire. As already 

 mentioned there are two features that require special 

 emphasis, as they are especially valuable in the breeding 

 herd of beef cattle and consequently should be possessed 

 in a marked degree by the head of the herd. Reference 

 is made to constitution and depth or wealth of natural 



