230 JUDGING BEEF AND DUAL PURPOSE CATTLE 



but also to the feeder in preparing an animal for market. It 

 has been mentioned that there are certain portions of the 

 animal which are equally important from the viewpoint of 

 the producer, the feeder, and the butcher. Constitution is 

 one of these attributes which must be possessed not only 

 to reproduce strong, thrifty, individuals, but also to 

 render the feeding animal of greater significance in the 

 process of market preparation. Weak constitution and 

 low vitality are the bane of both the breeder and the 

 feeder. 



The indications of constitution are significant in the 

 head and chest development. The head should be strong, 

 clean and impressive, the nostrils large and open, the muzzle 

 large and broad, the forehead broad and the chest full and 

 deep. This insures a large girth measurement within which 

 the vital organs have ample opportunity to perform their 

 normal functions. If for any reason the natural process 

 of these organs is interfered with it results in low vitality. 

 Such a condition is especially marked about the head. The 

 eyes become dull and sunken, the skin dry and harsh, and 

 the hair deficient in the normal amount of secretion. There 

 is a characteristic appearance in any animal possessing 

 strong constitutional development. Animals possessing these 

 attributes have strong, vigorous bodies, thus insuring a 

 robust animal capable of reproducing or finishing for the 

 block in a most satisfactory manner. 



Nervous Development. — The evidences of nerve develop- 

 ment are very strikingly portrayed in comparing the beef 

 and dairy animal. The former usually maintains a quiet, 

 satisfied attitude regardless of environment. The beef 

 animal is thus described as being lymphatic or comparatively 

 low in nerve force or nerve development. In the dairy 

 animal there is an alertness and activity very different from 

 that exemplified in the beef animal. A highly developed, 

 nervous organization portrays activity such as that mani- 

 fested by the dairy animal in utilizing the feed to the best 

 advantage for milk-productive purposes. The beef animal, 

 on the contrary, having a low nervous development uses the 

 food for storing fat on the body. The two conditions are 



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