46 
BULLETIN 1246. U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
PROPORTIONS OF THE VARIOUS CLASSES OF BEEF. 
Table 4 sIiotts the percentage of all beef represented by each class 
for each month of the year, based, on the number of carcasses pro- 
duced during a 30-month period. In this tabulation bull beef and 
stag beef are considered as a single group. 
The percentages were computed from data submitted by slaughter- 
ers in the United States to the United States Food Administration, 
weekly during the war. and supplied monthly thereafter to the Bu- 
reau of Markets, now the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, United 
States Department of Agriculture. 
From the data submitted, it appears that 48.51 per cent of the 
total number of cattle slaughtered were males, and 51.49 per cent 
were females. There is no doubt that the relation is reversed when 
considered from a tonnage standpoint. 
Table 5 shows the percentage relation by classes, by years, and 
the average for 30 months, for all cattle slaughtered, except canners 
and cutters. 
Table 6 carries the same information, with canners and cutters 
included. 
Table 5. — Percentage distribution of classes in total beef (excluding canners 
and cutters) bused on numbers of carcasses. 
Class. 
{ 1918, 6 Average 
1919 I months for 30 
cnly. I months. 
Steers, all ] 
Bulls... ". 
Cows...". 
Heifers.". 
Per cent. 
54. 95 
2.83 
24.52 
17.70 
Per cent. Per cent. 
49.91 54.75 
2.94 4.56 
28.81 25. £ 8 
IS. 34 14.71 
Per cent. 
53.20 
3.44 
26.44 
16.92 
Table 6. — Percentage distribution of classes in total beef {including canners 
and cutters) based on numbers of carcasses. 
Steers.. 
Bulls... 
Cows.. 
Heif< rs 
Per cent. 
Pa cent. 
Per cent. 
49.59 
43.44 
41.80 
3.20 
3.11 
4.4H 
31.23 
37. 77 
10.58 
15. 9S 
15.68 
13. 22 
APPROXIMATE DISTRIBUTION OF STEER BEEF BY GRADES. 
A careful study of available data indicates that scarcely more than 
26 per cent of all steer beef on the markets ranks above the Medium 
grade. About 0.5 per cent falls in the Prime grade. 4 per cent in 
the Choice grade. 22 per cent in the Good grade. 53 per cent in the 
Medium grade. 17 per cent in the Common grade, and 3.5 per cent 
in the Cutter and Canner grades. 
