30 BULLETIN 1464, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
as a rule, only moderately large but may be excessive, the extent of 
this being arrived at through correlation with the quantity or degree 
of smoothness and evenness of distribution of external fat, the age 
and breeding of the animal. 
In most cases the animal is slightly too coarse or slightly too 
refined to be ideal, but shows reasonably good beef type breeding, feed- 
ing, and handling. The bones are either slightly too large or too small 
and the hide is either slightly too thick or slightly too thin. Its 
degree of external fatness and characteristics of beef -type breeding 
afford evidences of the quantity of intermuscular and intramuscular 
fat, which is usually slightly small. The joints of the legs have a 
moderate degree of smoothness. The hide is often slightly dry and 
inelastic and the hair slightly dry and glossy in appearance. 
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Fig. 6. — Good grade slaughter steer 
Steers of this grade range from about 1 year and up in age 
with the usual age limits extending from 15 months to 4 years. 
They range from 800 pounds upward in weight with the bulk weigh- 
ing from 900 to 1,300 pounds. They are not uncommon at most 
markets and are usually on sale daily at the large markets where 
they are most freely offered from December 1 to May 1 of each year. 
They usually show a predominance of the blood of one of the recog- 
nized breeds of beef cattle but may show slight traces of dairy-type 
breeding. 
Medium or No. 3. — Medium or No. 3 grade slaughter steers are no- 
ticeably deficient in conformation, finish, and quality. They are 
slightly rangy or angular. The body is slightly narrow and shallow 
in proportion to its length. The neck is slightly long and thin and 
the legs are slightly long and are set slightly too close together. 
The top and underlines and the lines of the sides are slightly oblique 
