MARKET CLASSES AND GRADES OF DRESSED BEEF. 11 
therefore differentiate male from female carcasses, will be pointed 
out. Of these, the presence of cocl fat in steer carcasses and its ab- 
sence in female carcasses are the more important. 
In all carcasses of males of the bovine family there is a tendinous 
ring near the posterior point of the aitch 4 (or pelvic) bone. The 
female does not have this. Trimming away the male sexual organs 
usually exposes to view the muscle of the round which lies between 
the posterior end of the aitch bone and the exterior surface of the 
round or thigh, whereas in the female such trimming is not neces- 
sary, and this muscle is usually concealed by fat. Furthermore, this 
muscle is generally somewhat thicker in the male than in the female, 
which, in the male, increases slightly the distance between the end 
of the aitch bone and the outer surface of the round. 
Because of the greater depth of the pelvic arch in the female, 
the distance between the aitch bone and the tail root is greatest in 
the female, and because of the greater width of the pelvic arch, the 
distance between the posterior tips of the pelvic bones is greater 
in the female than in the male. Naturally this latter characteristic 
can be noted only in the carcass and not in the side. 
In the forequarters of a male carcass, the shoulders are usually 
coarser and more heavily muscled, the ribs show less curvature, and 
the neck is shorter and thicker than in the female. TVTien viewed 
from the side the fore shank of a female carcass — from the elbow 
to the knee — presents a smoothly-tapered appearance, whereas in 
a male carcass the lower or knee end of the shank shows a rather 
pronounced flare or knob. This is partly due to the more rugged 
structure of the knee joint in the male. 
As a rule, all bones in the male are larger than in the female, but 
the latter is likely to carry a greater amount of fat, particularly on 
the interior of the carcass and over the loin and rump. For that 
reason, male carcasses generally carry a larger proportion of lean 
meat to total weight, despite their larger bones. 
Having determined the sex of the carcass or side, the next step for 
the grader is to determine the class within the sex to which it be- 
longs. Beef from the male sex falls into three classes — steer, bull, 
and stag ; that from the female sex into two classes — heifer and cow. 5 
STEER BEEF. 
Steer beef is from a male that was castrated before he advanced far 
enough toward sexual maturity to make reproduction possible. The 
animal must also have progressed beyond the veal and calf stages. 
Beef of this class is distinguished from either cow or heifer beef by 
4 "Aitch bone " is a term used to indicate the portions of the pubic arch wbich are 
exposed as a result of splitting the carcass. It is a trade term and not a scientific name. 
Strictly speaking, it is not a bone, but only one surface of a bone. 
5 In ' recent years a few cattle producers and feeders haye made an effort so to 
manage their breeding and feeding operations as to bring their cattle to yirtual maturity 
at from 8 to 15 montbs of age. When this is done, the beef resulting from slaughter 
retains many of the characteristics of yeal, but also possesses many of those of mature 
beef. Such meat has come to he known as baby beef. In ordinary trade practice, haw- 
ever, the term baby beef is frequently applied to meat which has no other claim to dis- 
tinction than light-weight. The question arises as to whether so-called baby beef should 
be considered as a distinct commodity, separate from either beef or veal, as a class of 
beef, or merely as representative of one or more grades of steer and heifer beef, according 
to the sex of 'the animal. Bcause of this confusion, on the part of the trade, baby beef 
has been omitted from this bulletin, but will be considered in a separate publication at a 
later date. 
