12 BULLETIN 1470, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
than those in wether mutton carcasses from sheep of the same age. 
Only a small percentage of ewe mutton carcasses possess the degrees 
of conformation required in the higher grades. 
Buck mutton is derived from mature males of the ovine species 
which were uncastrated at time of slaughter. Such carcasses are 
usually from animals 2 years old and over. 
The principal characteristics of buck-mutton carcasses are short, 
thick necks, thick shoulders and breasts, relatively small hind quar- 
ters in proportion to forequarters, large bones, coarse, dark-colored 
flesh, and thick, oily "skins" or fell. Carcasses of well-finished 
bucks usually have a thick, wasty covering of fat. but have only 
moderate quantities of interior fats. 
STYLE OF DRESSING 
Prior to the summer of 1918, various styles of dressing sheep and 
lambs were in effect. In the bulk, the caul 3 was spread over the 
hind legs and kidneys. Spread sticks or u back sets" were used to 
spread the carcass. In a large percentage of carcasses the pluck 4 
was not removed. On July 5, 1918, at the suggestion of the Bureau 
of Markets (now a part of the Agricultural Marketing Administra- 
tion), the United States Food Administration issued regulations re- 
quiring all lamb, mutton, and goat carcasses to be plain or round 
dressed, with caul and pluck removed from the carcass at time of 
slaughter, and prohibited the use of spread sticks, during the period 
of World War I. The economical features of dressing plain or 
round style appealed to all classes of the trade, and although the 
restrictions were canceled after the signing of the armistice, the plain 
or round dressed style has been generally adopted by all slaughterers, 
Carcasses have the pelt, head, and feet removed, and forelegs folded 
at the knee, and are opened from the cod or bag to the throat. Under 
the old or "caul dressed" style the carcasses were split only from the 
cod or bag to the breast bone. 
BASIS FOR GRADING LAMB AND MUTTON 
The act of grading naturally follows that of classifying and is 
a continuation of the same analytical process. In the present case, 
the whole commodity has been divided into two major groups — lamb 
and mutton, the latter being further subdivided into yearling mut- 
ton and mature mutton. These groups are frequently called classes 
but are really age selections. The divisions are based on the age 
of the animals which produced the meat. 
Grading is a further subdivision in which groupings are made 
within rather narrow and well-defined limits. In determining these 
groups, conformation, finish, and quality are the prime factors, and 
each group should be highly uniform in all details. 
In most respects, the grading of lamb and mutton is not unlike 
the grading of beef, which was described in Department Bulletin 
No. 1246, Market Classes and Grades of Dressed Beef. Practically 
3 Caul or omentum is a thin membrane dotted with small globules of fat. It supports 
the stomach and is attached to the inner walls of the carcass. When " caul dressing " 
was in vogue the caul was removed at time of slaughter and spread over the hind legs and 
loins. 
* Pluck consists of the heart, liver, lungs, and trachea or windpipe. 
