MARKET CLASSES AND GRADES OF CATTLE 
45 
The animal has a very well-cared-for appearance with a moderate 
degree of refinement. The bones of the legs are of medium size 
and the hide is moderately thick and very pliable. The degree of 
external fatness and its breeding insures that the animal has a very 
large quantity of intermuscular and intramuscular fat. The joints 
of the legs are usually small and smooth. The hide is very loose 
and the hair is very oily and has a decided gloss, sheen, or silken 
appearance. 
This grade is composed largel} T of purebred, crossbred, or high- 
grade individuals of beef-type breeding. They range from somewhat 
under 2 years old up. Only an occasional individual is more than 4 
years old. They weigh from about 800 pounds up to 1,400 pounds 
or more, usually weighing from 1,000 to 1,200 pounds. They are 
only occasional^ on sale at any of the large central markets and 
can not be said to have any season of abundant or scant supply. 
Fig. 18. — Good grade slaughter cow 
Good or No. 2. — Good or No. 2 grade slaughter cows have a mod- 
erately high degree of conformation, finish, and quality. They tend 
to be rectangular and are moderately compact, the body being mod- 
erately broad and deep in proportion to its length. The head is 
moderately wide and long and the neck is moderately short and 
thick. The legs are moderately short and set moderately wide apart. 
The top line tends to be straight and level, but the underline usually 
sags to a slight extent. The lines of the sides tend to converge at a 
point in front of the animal, owing to moderately less width of body 
through the shoulders than through the hips. The flesh is mod- 
erately thick and uneven, the fore quarters being less thickly fleshed 
than the hind quarters. The lines of the different parts are moder- 
ately full, plump, and rounded out, and the animal has a moderately 
high proportion of loins, ribs, and rounds, as indicated by the devel- 
opment and balance of the different parts, 
