JUDGING THE MUTTON TYPE OF SHEEP 



383 



Fig. 208. — "The judge comes to the front of 

 the sheep, by the left shoulder, and grasps the 

 neck in his right hand and feels its thickness." 



properly the ani- 

 mal as a w li o 1 e, 

 first inspect from 

 a distance, as for 

 example ten or 

 twelve feet away. 

 Begin the examin- 

 ation from in 

 front, facing the 

 head, and then 

 slowly walk about 

 the animal, noting 

 the matter of pro- 

 portion, closeness 

 to ground, quality 

 and general char- 

 acter. 

 The weight of the fat sheep is a matter of importance. 



The large, heavy mutton Is not popular, and the American 



market prefers the 



more handy weights 



approximating 8 



pounds for a lamb 



and 140 pounds for 



yearling wethers. 



Heavy sheep at one 



time were popular 



when large joints 



were in favor, but 



the present day 



market seeks • early 



maturity, not too 



much fat, and small 



cuts. However, the 



English still use the 



large joints of mut- Fig. 209.— "The left hand may be lowered 



^nr, Knt ^tr-ir, n'v, *° *^* brisket, where the width here may be 

 con, DUt even m determined," 



