CHOOSING FOR BEEF 199 



heifers in with a lot of steers as they disturb the steers at such 

 times. Furthermore, too, the market discriminates against 

 heifer beef, and the butcher will not pay as much for a drove 

 of heifers as he will a lot of steers. 



General characteristics of beef cattle 



In choosing feeding cattle one should note carefully their 

 general appearance. The form, the quality, the condition, the 

 uniformity, and the age are each important, and should re- 

 ceive due consideration. 



Form of the feeder. — In form the feeder in general should 

 resemble a brick set on edge. It should fill out a parallelogram. 

 The top and bottom lines should be parallel. The shoulders 

 and chest should be almost as wide as the hips and rump. 

 Feeders should be "blocky," indicating- compactness and 

 squareness of form. Those with long bodies are termed 

 " rangy, " while those with long legs showing too little depth and 

 fullness of body are termed "leggy," both of which are objection- 

 able in a feeder. Steers standing high from the ground, light 

 in the flanks, and shallow in the heart girth rarely make good 

 feeders. 



The quality of the feeder. — QuaHty in feeders is determined 

 in the same way as in dairy cattle, that is, by a soft, mellow 

 hide, silky hair, and a fine bone. The condition of the skin is 

 thought to be an important indication as to the probable feed- 

 ing qualities of a steer. If the skin is mellow and elastic to 

 the touch, it indicates good " handling." Animals possessed of 

 such skins usually fatten rapidly, whereas those with heavy 

 stiff skins often fatten slowly. 



The food influences the handling to a marked degree. When 

 liberally fed, especially on oily laxative foods, the skin is soft 

 and elastic and the hair usually silky and fine. On the other 

 hand, if scantily fed or with improper foods, the skin often 

 becomes tightly attached to the body, and it feels dry 



