88 BULLETIN 1464, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGBICULTURE 
legs are extremely large or extremely small. The hide is extremely 
thick or thin and is extremely tight and unpliant. The hair is 
usually extremely coarse, dry, and harsh. 
The general conformation of bulls of this grade usually shows 
that they are of very pronounced dairy type, or nondescript or scrub 
breeding, and they usually have the color markings of dairy-type 
animals to a lesser or greater extent. In age they range from around 
1 year up with very few over 3 years of age. They are on sale 
in limited numbers at most markets throughout the year, being most 
numerous during the summer and fall months. 
GRADES OF FEEDER AND STOCKER STAGS 
Theoretically there could be six grades of feeder and stocker stags 
ranging from fancy or No.' Al to inferior or No. 5. But stags of all 
kinds comprise a very small percentage of the total cattle receipts 
at any market. Virtually all stags received at large central markets 
are bought and sold as slaughter cattle. Very few are ever taken 
back to the country for feeder or stocker purposes. For this reason 
detailed descriptions of the possible grades of feeder and stocker 
stags are not given. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of these 
grades of stags would not differ to any great extent from those given 
for the corresponding grades of feeder and stocker steers. The 
main difference lies in conformation, although they average consid- 
erably lower in quality, with practically the same degree of finish. 
As a class their necks, shoulders, and rounds are thicker than those 
of steers to a greater or lesser extent. Stags are an in-between class, 
falling between steers and bulls. In reality they are males which 
were not castrated until they had reached sufficient maturity to 
make reproduction possible and which had developed to some extent 
many of the physical characteristics peculiar to the adult uncas- 
trated male. 
O 
