FOB MUTTON AND WOOL 113 



13 fat. Others are satisfied with feeling the back. Many 

 after feeling the tail, grasp the neck and base their 

 opinion on the fullness of that part. The flank and breast 

 are often used for further assistance, and some butchers 

 estimate condition by the fullness of the purse. At any 

 of these points, more especially the back, the covering 

 should be such in the prime lamb as to prevent feeling 

 the sharp projection of backbone. In a lamb that is com- 

 pletely fattened there is a distinct trough or groove run- 

 ning from the tail to the shoulders and the covering of 

 flesh should extend well down over the sides, without 

 softness due to excessive fat or oily tissue. All lambs do 

 not fatten as smoothly or as uniformly as herein indicated. 

 In most lambs, however, the worst defect is bareness of 

 the loin and lightness in the hind quarters. With these 

 parts well covered and fully developed, a rather sharp 

 shoulder and peaked brisket will be overlooked. Not 

 only should the flesh be thick over the valuable cuts, but 

 it should be firm. Very often it will be found that soft 

 rough patches will be present about the head of the tail, 

 owing to the depositing of too much soft flesh on thb 

 back, which may slip from there on the over ripe lamb 

 and gather at the flank or along the sides in long soft 

 rolls. 



161. The Importance of Dressed Weight. In consider- 

 ing this subject still further from the butcher's point of 

 view, there is the question of quality which matprially 

 affects the percentage of the dressed meat obtained. This 

 in addition to being largely influenced by the condition 

 of the sheep, is perhaps most influenced by the fineness 

 of the bone, thickness of the pelt and other features, 

 which all have a marked influence on the profit from the 

 butcher's standpoint. In this connection to show how im- 

 portant it is to have the dressed weight yield a large per- 



