EVOLUTION OF THE BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY 265 



A steer may be ideal from the standpoint of form alone, 

 but unless it is accompanied by the proper amount of con- 

 dition or fat, it would be eliminated from a place in a fat 

 class for this reason alone. The fat animal should be long, 

 broad, deep and low set; the top and underline should be 

 straight and parallel, the ribs well sprung, the loin broad 

 and thick, the coupling short, and the twist well filled. The 

 head should be broad and long, the muzzle prominent, the 

 eyes large, clear and bright, the neck short and full and 

 evenly blended with the shoulder. 



The condition of a fat animal may be determined, first, 

 by the general appearance, including symmetry and smooth- 

 ness, and lastly by an examination of the tongue root, which 

 should be full and firm. The flanks should be low and well 

 filled and the cod or purse fully distended with fat. The 

 back, loin and ribs should be deeply and uniformly covered. 

 The amount of fat may be determined by passing the hand, 

 palm down, along the back and sides which should be deeply 

 and smoothly covered if the animal is in high condition. 

 Rolls, ties or patches are objectionable to the extent of 

 their occurrence. A true, well-balanced trim animal, with 

 a minimum of waste is the ideal for the feeder and the 

 butcher. 



Feeders. — Feeder cattle should be of similar form to fat 

 animals except for the condition or fat accumulation. 

 Ordinarily such animals are lacking materially in fat, this 

 depending, however, on the way in which they have been 

 handled. Strictly speaking, an animal is a feeder until 

 it has accumulated a sufiicient amount of fat to place it in 

 the most desirable market condition. Usually animals 

 which class as feeders have only a limited amount of fat, 

 the result of ordinary feeding or grazing conditions on the 

 range or farm. 



The lines of the animal should be straight, the form 

 square, low set and it should possess quality and a sufficient 

 amount of constitution to get the best results under feed 

 lot conditions. Otherwise, constitution is not of special 

 significance in an animal of this type. Feeders should 

 possess all the requisites of the fat animal except for fat 



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