EVOLUTION OF THE BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY 229 



lines, and a general expression of intelligence and thriftiness. 

 The bone should be smooth, hard, and dense, the skin of 

 medium thickness, pliable, and of a healthy color, and the 

 hair fine, straight, and uniformly covering the body. The 

 shoulder development is important, as roughness, openness 

 or coarseness are indicative of lack in general refinement and, 

 therefore, quality characterization. Large bone, undefined 

 joints and a coarse-textured horn, are likewise indicative of 



Fig. 93.- 



-Feeder steer ill-shaped and lacking in natural flesh. 

 (Photograph by author.) 



inferior quality. The presence or absence of these character- 

 istics in general determines the degree of quality or general 

 refinement which an animal possesses. A close, compact, 

 symmetrical development throughout, which condition is 

 indicated by head and facial development, bone formation, 

 and the condition of the skin and hair, is indicative of an 

 animal qualified to fulfill the requirements of the breeder, 

 feeder, or the butcher. 



Constitution. — Indications of constitution are not only im- 

 portant to the breeder because of hereditary qualifications. 



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