30 BULLETIN 1470, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Hotel racks. — A hotel rack is one of the subdivisions of a foresaddle 
and includes parts of nine pairs of ribs. It is removed from a fore- 
saddle between the third and fourth pairs of ribs and has the breasts 
removed. A hotel rack equals 12 per cent of the carcass weight. 
Chucks. — The term chuck as commonly used in the markets refers 
to the shoulders and neck in one piece. It includes three pairs of ribs, 
but the breasts and shanks are removed. The chuck equals approxi- 
mately 23.5 per cent of the carcass weight. 
Breasts. — Breasts of ovine carcasses correspond to the plates, 
briskets, and shanks of a beef carcass. They include the tip ends 
of nine ribs and the foreshank. There are two breasts from a car- 
cass. They equal approximately 14.5 per cent of carcass weight. 
Other terms which are fairly common in certain markets are 
" rattles," " stews," " slugs," and " market rack." The term " market 
rack " as understood by the trade refers to a foresaddle as described 
in this bulletin. The terms " rattles," " stews," and " slugs " all re- 
fer to the same or similar cut which consists of the chucks, breasts, 
shanks, and neck. It comprises all the forequarter except the hotel 
rack. A " wing " consists of the two shoulders, shanks, neck, and 
breasts. It is the remaining part of the foresaddle after the hotel 
rack is removed. A " bracelet " comprises the hotel rack plus the por- 
tions of the breasts which correspond with the plates in a beef carcass. 
PERCENTAGE YIELDS OF WHOLESALE CUTS 
The relation of the wholesale cuts to the carcass, expressed in 
percentages varies with the method of cutting. Because of differ- 
ences in conformation of lamb and mutton carcasses, there are cor- 
responding differences in the percentage yields of cuts from the 
three groups of carcasses. 
The percentages vary also to some extent with the shifting of 
values for the various cuts and are influenced by the desire of the 
wholesale dealer to get the most money he can for the meat. There 
are also variations in percentage yields of cuts owing to the grade 
of the carcass. Better-grade carcasses yield proportionately greater 
quantities of meat in the preferred cuts, particularly loins and racks, 
than low-grade carcasses. Low-grade carcasses on the other hand 
have relatively heavier shoulders. These differences affect percentage 
yields of cuts in relation to the carcass. All of these factors should 
be considered when any set of percentage figures is used to determine 
average selling prices. Information in Table 1 applies only to lamb 
carcasses of Choice grade at the markets named. Because of these 
variable factors certain variations in percentage yields of cuts be- 
tween carcasses of different grades necessarily follow. 
Table 1 shows striking variations in yields of wholesale cuts in 
different markets. Other variations exist in other markets and 
sometimes there are slight variations in the same market. 
As the demand for lamb and mutton increases, and consumption 
broadens, the tendency of the trade to purchase more and more cuts 
logically follows. This increases proportionately the need for a uni- 
form method of dividing carcasses into cuts and involves economies 
in marketing which should not be overlooked. 
