8 BULLETIN 1360, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BASIS OF USE SELECTIONS 
Use selection.— A use selection is a subdivision of a subclass and 
consists of a group of animals which differ from animals in other 
similar groups in relative suitability for certain specialized or 
limited uses. 
Subclasses are really major use selections, but in some of these 
subclasses there are certain groups of animals which show excep- 
tional suitability for certain specialized uses. Jfor example, slaughter 
hogs are divided into butcher hogs, bacon hogs and packing hogs, 
according to their suitability for these different special purposes. 
The real basis of these three use selections is type or conformation. 
For instance, certain hogs are superior from the standpoint of bacon 
production because they possess long and relatively slender bodies, 
whereas other hogs are especially adapted to packing or lard pro- 
duction because of the ereat depth of flesh or fat they carry on 
most portions. of the body. In the schedule here outlined the use 
selection has not been applied to all kinds of livestock, because in 
some instances the manufacture or processing of the products re- 
sulting from slaughter has not developed to a point which makes 
such segregation necessary. 
BASIS OF AGE Sa denond 
Age selection.—An age selection is a subdivision of either a use 
selection or a subclass and consists of a group of animals which fall 
within certain specified age limits. 
The age selections in the schedule are practically self-explanatory. 
Animals are frequently sorted on the basis of age, largely because 
of variations in conformation, quality, and finish which occur with 
increasing age. Jn the case of breeding stock, milkers, and springers, 
other factors are frequently considered, such as prospective hfe of 
usefulness and the like. For some years past there has been a rather 
marked tendency on the part of the consuming public to demand 
meat from younger animals. This is due partly to the demand for 
smaller cuts than formerly and partly to other economic considera- 
tions. 
In a young animal, if properly finished, the consumer can get 
much of the tenderness and juiciness required for palatability w ith- 
out the excessive fat of the finished, mature animal for which the 
average consumer has no use. Because of such considerations, 1 
some kinds of livestock age has a rather important bearing on the 
price the market will pay. This is particularly true in the case of 
cattle and sheep. There is somewhat the same tendency with regard 
to swine but in that case the demand for comparatively young ant- 
mals is revealed in strict limitations of weight. This is possible 
because swine husbandry in the United States has developed to a 
point where age requirements can practically be insured by weight 
specifications. 
BASIS OF WEIGHT SELECTIONS 
Weight selection—A weight selection is a subdivision of either 
an age selection or a use selection and consists of a group of ani- 
mals which fall within certain specified weight limits. 
The weight selections in the schedule need no detailed explanation. 
The system of sorting meat animals on the basis of weight is a 
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