16 BULLETIN 1360, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Neither of these groups is particularly important although in the 
course of a year considerable numbers are handled on certain 
markets. Such animals are not bought and sold to produce meat but 
rather for milk production either immediately or later. In the case 
of milkers and springers, neither age nor weight is of sufficient 
importance as a price-determining factor to make segregation on 
these bases necessary, and only four grades are recognized, 
AGE SELECTIONS OF CATTLE 
The third series of groups is called age selection and the meaning 
of the terms is apparent. As a rule, cattle are sorted into two 
groups with respect to age—yearlings, including all cattle under 
2 years of age, and 2 years old and over. 
Fic. 3.—Slaughter cow (good grade) 
WEIGHT SELECTIONS OF CATTLE 
The fourth subdivisions are known as weight selections. These 
weight groups vary in number between classes and there is some 
variation in we eight limits of the various groups, depending upon the 
subclass and age selection considered. The three main weight selec- 
tions are lightweight, mediumweight, and heavyweight. The exact 
limits of each vary with the class, subclass, and age of the animals 
composing the group. Tor example, lightweight in yearling steers 
and heifers includes animals weighing “from 800 pounds down, in 
mature steers, 2 years old and over, lightweight includes everything 
from 1,100 pounds down. Similar variations occur in the méedium- 
weight ‘and heavyweight groups. Weight segregations do not appear 
in all classes and subclasses. Such seoregations appear in the sched- 
ule only when consumers’ demands make it necessary for traders to 
sort cattle into different weight groups. 
