EVOLUTION OF THE BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY 233 



istics indicate quality in carcass beef. Animals produced 

 with these attainments will not only be more profitable to 

 the producer and feeder, but more satisfactory to the trade. 



Capacity. — The usefulness of a beef animal is measured 

 by its power to consume feed and convert it into the proper 

 material for body maintenance and development. The 

 breeding animal should have capacity as applied both to 

 reproduction and body development. This condition, there- 

 fore, should be doubly emphasized in such animals. The 

 capacity is dependent largely on the body development, 

 the blood supply, and the health and vigor manifested. A 

 narrow, shallow-bodied animal or one with an insufRcient 

 blood supply cannot be healthy and vigorous, and conse- 

 quently cannot have the capacity for consuming and manu- 

 facturing feed into the ultimate material needed for body 

 growth and development. Capacity is quite closely correlated 

 with constitution and the general conformation of the animal. 

 The one condition should be indicative of the other. Lack 

 of capacity is usually associated with lack of constitution 

 and reproductive development. Its application is far-reach- 

 ing in studying animals from these two viewpoints. 



Condition. — Condition is significant of the quantity of fat 

 deposited in the muscular tissues and over the body of 

 an animal. While breeding stock is frequently placed in 

 high condition for the show ring it is generally recognized 

 that when a breeding herd is maintained in moderate con- 

 dition the results are more satisfactory. Market animals, 

 however, should be fitted in high condition, although many 

 of them are marketed without having acquired sufficient 

 fat to make them sell most advantageously. A good quality 

 of meat is obtained only when the fat is properly interspersed 

 through the muscular tissues and over the outside of the 

 carcass. Animals may be overfinished, however, which 

 detracts greatly from their value. This condition is more 

 frequently met with in the show ring. 



The indications of finish or condition are quite numerous; 

 however, there are certain fixed attributes which are indicative 

 of this qualification. A finished animal has a round, smooth, 

 plump body in contradistinction to the thin body, showing a 



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