MARKET CLASSES AND GRADES OF CATTLE 6 
Because of this variation a demand arose for descriptions of the 
various classes and grades of livestock, so that when a quotation is 
given on a certain grade at one of the larger central markets the pro- 
ducer, shipper, or packer knows what such an animal is, whether he 
is in California, Georgia, or in the Corn Belt. It was with this fact 
in mind that the United States Department of Agriculture attempted 
to formulate descriptions of the various classes and grades. 
It is possible to formulate a system of standard market classes and 
grades for any of the different species of livestock which is applicable 
to the entire United States, but many problems of a more or less 
serious nature arise in so doing. The formulation of such a system 
for cattle no doubt presents more real difficulties than are encoun- 
tered in connection with other species of livestock. These problems 
have not yet been fully solved, but enough research work has been 
done, independently and in connection with the livestock market- 
reporting work of the bureau, to make certain that the fundamentals 
which form the basis for the standard market classes and grades of 
cattle described in this bulletin are sound, practical, and workable 
and possess a high degree of stability. 
BASIS FOR STANDARD MARKET CLASSES AND GRADES OF CATTLE 
Observation and investigation of market practices and customs 
in trading in cattle at the large central livestock markets revealed the 
fact that all cattle received at these markets were bought and sold 
on the basis of their degree of merit, or adjudged value, for one or 
another of several uses. It also established the fact that the real 
trading basis for cattle was their sex condition, age, weight, con- 
formation, finish, and quality, since those connected with the live- 
stock industry had learned from experience that the degree of merit 
or value which cattle possess for a given market use depends upon 
and varies in accordance with differences in these factors. 
Thus the use to be made of cattle and their sex condition, age, 
weight, conformation, finish, and quality are fundamentals in any 
system of standard market classes and grades of cattle. They form 
the basis of the system described in this bulletin, which system is 
used in the livestock market-reporting service conducted by the Agri- 
cultural Marketing Service. 
CLASSIFYING AND GRADING CATTLE 
Classifying and grading a commodity consists merely in dividing 
and subdividing it into lots or groups which have similar and uni- 
form characteristics, finally arriving at a point where the lot or 
group shows a comparatively slight variation in the essential char- 
acteristics which distinguish it from other groups. It is an analyti- 
cal process going from the general to the particular, a grouping of 
individual units in such a way that they finally present a desired 
amount of uniformity in all essential characteristics. 
Classifying and grading are both a part of the same general 
process, but classification precedes grading. The first divisions ar- 
