22 JUDGING FARM ANIMALS 



values to the different parts of the body. No mat- 

 ter what kind of score card we are using, in general, 

 appropriate recognition will be given to the different 

 parts, crediting each with a fair number of points. The 

 various breeds of live stock of similar type and charac- 

 ter place quite comparable values on similar more im- 

 portant parts. This may be illustrated in the case of 

 the dairy breeds of cattle, in which the udder, milk veins 

 and wells of the females are given many points, thus 

 indicating their great importance. If, however, meat pro- 

 duction is the primary consideration, then with either 

 types or breeds of the more distinctive meat animals, 

 greatest emphasis is placed on the development of back 

 and hindquarters, where the largest amount of valuable 

 meat is obtained. Further, in the composition of the 

 score card, the minor parts from the commercial point 

 of view, such as ear, nostril, tail or ankle, no matter how 

 important these may be in comprising the whole, are 

 measured up in small figures. 



The use of figures in scoring animals is necessary to 

 furnish a basis for comparison with the ideal or standard. 

 Care should be used to grade on as simple and clear a basis 

 as possible. Figures as small as 1 or 2 are used as measures 

 of values in the standard but it is undesirable in scoring 

 an animal to introduce numbers that show too fine a measur- 

 ment. If 1 indicates a perfection then grades of .25 .50 

 or .75 might be used as measuring the value of the part 

 being judged. Surely .25 of one per cent is a small enough 

 estimate to express reasonably well a valuation of a part 

 that cannot possibly score over 1 point. Some persons 

 score as low as .1 of one per cent, but that is a very fine 

 measurement to apply and one difficult to justify. In scor- 

 ing, decimals are preferable, as common fractions do not 

 stand out in clear contrast for study, and the person scor- 

 ing should have his column of figures mathematically ar- 

 ranged, with the decimal points in line. Unless care is 

 used in this respect, the judge may mix his columns in 



