4 BULLETIN 1860, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
excellent conformation, whereas others are ill-shaped and rough; 
some are fat and others are emaciated; some are very young and 
others old; some heavy and others hght; and finally, some represent 
the highest degree of quality, whereas others are extremely deficient 
in quality. 
The immediate purpose of classifying and grading livestock on a 
commercial scale is, by eliminating extremes, so to arrange the 
animals that the individuals making up a group will present great 
uniformity and that each animal will make a near approach to an 
ideal which has been established for that group. The ultimate object 
is to make possible an accurate determination of values and intel- 
ligible description or reporting of market transactions. 
Obviously, where wide variations exist in essential characteristics 
it is impossible either to determine accurately the true value of the 
animals or to describe them satisfactorily to one not able to make a 
personal inspection. To illustrate, “steers $7 to $10,” means prac- 
tically nothing, whereas “ choice, mediumweight, yearling, slaugh- 
ter steers, $10 to $10.50,” conveys very definite and specific informa- 
tion to anyone who understands the exact meaning of the terms 
“ choice,” “ mediumweight,” “ yearling,” and “ slaughter.” 
STANDARD CLASSES AND GRADES 
A standard schedule of market classes and grades of livestock 
must be suited to the needs of producers, traders, and slaughterers 
of livestock and to consumers of meat and animal products. It must 
take into account both the kinds of animals produced and the kinds 
demanded, and must be based largely on fundamental considerations 
and characteristics. It must be workable, definite, specific, and rea- 
sonably permanent. It is hoped and believed that the schedule of 
market classes and grades appearing in this bulletin and the defini- 
tions of the terms which make up the schedule, meet most of these 
requirements and can therefore eventually become a standard. 
DEFINITION OF TERMS 
In discussing and describing the schedule of market classes and 
crades used by the marketing livestock, meats, and wool division of 
the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, United States Department 
of Agriculture, several familiar terms are used. Although most of 
these terms are in common usage among stockmen everywhere and 
particularly at central livestock markets, it is an unfortunate fact 
that different meanings are frequently attached to the same term. 
Hence it seems desirable to define briefly the more important terms 
so that there will be no confusion in the mind of the reader regard- 
ing what follows. 
Three terms of special importance are (1) conformation, (2) fin- 
ish, and (8) quality. As a matter of fact the whole schedule is based 
largely on these three characteristics and variations in them. AI- 
though an effort has been made to be specific in these definitions and 
to limit carefully the boundaries of each, the three characteristics 
are very Closely related and there is between them a certain depend- 
ency which frequently causes considerable difficulty to students and 
to men actually engaged in handling livestock. For example, it is 
