126 BEEF PRODUCTION 



pays to feed until choice to prime condition is secured. 

 A more intimate and accurate knowledge of most 

 of these factors is in the possession of progressive live 

 stock commission companies, and the cattle feeder who 

 does not keep in close touch with such is not likely to 

 form as wise conclusions without their help, although 

 the cattle feeder must needs do some hard thinking for 

 himself. 



In conclusion, we do not wish it inferred that the 

 writer leans to the opinion that it generally pays best 

 to stop short of prime condition. We have inferred 

 that at times it does and at other times it does not. In 

 case prime condition seems desirable, the following sug- 

 gestions as to how to judge it may be helpful: 



Fullness at base of tongue, fullness or a roll of fat in 

 front of point of shoulder, a full twist; a large, mellow 

 cod; a low, full, thick flank that stands out and rolls 

 visibly as the animal walks; fullness and smoothness at 

 rump and tail-head indicate that degree of fatness which 

 is essential to the highest quality in beef. These points, 

 which are to be judged by sight rather than by touch, 

 are the ones most depended upon by buyers at the yards. 



Figure 13 illustrates a steer in a half-fat and prime 

 condition 



PREPARING CATTLE FOR SHIPMENT 



There are shippers who, by divers practices, have se- 

 cured an abnormal fill at the market, or, in other words, 

 have been successful in making their cattle weigh more 

 than they should by inducing them to drink an unusual 

 amount of water when they reach the market. It should 

 not be forgotten that there are past masters of the 

 "filling" process at all our leading markets, and many 

 of them operate outside the fat cattle division, too. The 

 trained eye of the buyer of fat cattle is always on the 

 lookout for cattle that have filled unusually well, and 

 when he sets the price on such he is sure to discriminate 

 against them in value per hundredweight, as he knows 



