AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
m 
as possible by means of a pruning-hook; a cow¬ 
boy or other farm laborer can do this. The 
Mistletoe thus obtained may be given to sheep 
or cows, for both these animals are very fond of 
eating it. A law is said to exist which renders 
compulsory the destruction of Thistles; one 
compelling that of the Mistletoe would be 
equally useful, if enforced; for unless that 
were the case, careful persons would fall vic¬ 
tims to the negligence of their neighbors, be¬ 
cause the seeds are sown by the birds where- 
ever they perch. 
(To be continued.) 
THE POINTS FOE JUDGING FAT CATTLE. 
We recommend an attentive perusal of the 
following article, which is very valuable to all 
who are engaged in rearing, fattening, or deal¬ 
ing in cattle. It is the best and most compre¬ 
hensive article we have yet met on the subject 
of which it treats. 
The form of the carcase is the chief point in 
the shape of an ox. It is found, the nearer the 
section of the carcase of a fat ox, taken longitu¬ 
dinally vertical, transversely vertical, and hori¬ 
zontally, approaches to the figure of a parallelo¬ 
gram, the greater quantity of flesh will it carry 
within the same measurement. That the car¬ 
case may fill up the parallelogram, as well as its 
rounded figure is capable of filling up a right- 
angled figure, it should possess the following 
configuration : the back should be straight from 
the top of the shoulder to the tail, and better if 
the straight line extends over the shoulder to the 
root of the horns; the tail should fall perpen¬ 
dicularly from the line of the back ; the buttocks 
and twist should be well filled out; the brisket 
should project to a line dropped from the middle 
of the neck; the belly should be straight long¬ 
itudinally and round laterally, and filled at the 
flanks; the ribs should be round, and should 
project horizontally and at right-angles to the 
back; the hooks should be wide and flat, and 
the rump from the tail to the hooks should also 
be fat and well filled ; the quarter from the aitch¬ 
bone to the hock should be long; the loin-bones 
should be long, broad, flat, and well filled, but 
the space between the hooks and the short-ribs 
should be rather short, and well arched over 
with a thickness of beef between the hooks; a 
long hollow from the hooks to the short-ribs 
indicates a weak constitution and an indifferent 
thriver; from the loin to the shoulder-blade 
should be nearly of one breadth, and from thence 
it should taper a little to the front of the shoul¬ 
der ; the neck vein should be well filled forward, 
to complete the line from the neck to the brisket; 
the covering of the shoulder blade should be as 
full out as the buttocks; the middle-ribs should 
be well filled, to complete the line from the 
shoulders to the buttocks along the projection 
of the outside of the ribs. 
These are the chief points of the form of a 
fattened ox. The examination by the touch fol¬ 
lows the appearance to the eye. 
The position of the flesh on the carcase is a 
great consideration in judging of the ox, as the 
flesh on the different parts is of various qualities. 
The finest meat lies on the loins and the rump, 
and on the fore and middle ribs ; consequently 
the ox that carries the largest quantity of beef 
on these “points” is the most valuable. Flesh 
of fine quality is of finer texture in the fibre than 
coarse flesh, and it contains more fat in the tis¬ 
sue between the fibres. It is this arrangement 
of the fat and the lean that gives the richness 
and delicacy to the flesh. The other parts, of 
various qualities, and used for soups and salt¬ 
ing, do not fetch the high price of the parts 
described. 
The point or top of the rump is the first part 
of a feeding ox that shows the fat, and in a well- 
bred animal it becomes a very prominent point. 
Sometimes, by protruding too much when the 
quantity of fat is out of proportion to the lean, 
it misleads an inexperienced judge in the true 
fatness of the ox, as fat may be felt on that 
point, and be very deficient on the other parts 
which constitute a valuable frame. 
A full twist, lining the division between the 
hams with a thick layer of fat, a thick flank, and 
a full neck vein, are generally indicative of prime 
fattening, and also of the secretion of internal 
fat; but it frequently happens that these signs 
wholly fail, and it is observed that a fine exterior 
does not warrant a similar inside of the ox; 
and thin-made beasts, with flat ribs and large 
bellies, very often produce a large quantity of 
internal fat. The Alderney cattle furnish an 
example of this case. Their outward gaunt ap¬ 
pearance seems deficient in every fattening 
point, and yet few animals afford so much in¬ 
side fat in proportion to the quantity of carcase 
flesh. 
The parts that are the last in being covered 
with flesh are the top of the shoulder and the 
point of the shoulder joint. When these points 
are felt to be well covered, the other and better 
parts maybe considered to be in perfection, and 
a prime condition may be expected. But the 
general handling must establish the real condi¬ 
tion, for there is a wide difference between the 
apparent and real fatness of an ox. The flesh 
may feel loose and flabby of an ox that has ap¬ 
peared very fat to the eye, and a truly fattened 
animal always feels “ hand fat.” Such handlers 
never deceive the butcher, while loose fattenings 
never kill well. 
A judge looks at the fattened animal in the 
full broadside, in front, and from behind. If 
the examination is commenced in the middle of 
the body, the points of the fingers touch the 
whole side of the ribs from the shoulder to the 
hook-bone in various places, and satisfies the 
inquiry if the flesh be delicate and firm, and 
imposed in a regular manner. The right hand 
can be stretched to the hook-bone, examine the 
short ribs, and if the bone of junction be cov¬ 
ered with flesh, to show the fiting roundness of 
the formation, and if the vacancy between it 
and the short rib is well arched over with firm 
flesh. The flank is at the same time examined 
by being grasped in the hand, and felt to be 
bulky and firm with flesh, and at the same time 
mellow and pliant. A good flank should be 
protuberant rather than depending, in order to 
contribute to the cylindrical shape of the car¬ 
case by filling up the hollow that happens at the 
junction of the body with the thigh. A step of 
the body of the judge backwards will enable the 
hand to reach the rump, or root of the tail, 
which is the extreme part of the body, and the 
first to show the condition of fat. That part 
must be well examined, both by touch of the 
fingers and grasp of the hand, and the flesh 
must feel delicate and soft, firm and compact. 
The quantity must be moderate, and not form 
bunches and protuberances. The same hand 
touches the thigh in several places down to the 
hock-bone, and settles the quality of the flesh 
of each part; the length of the rump from the 
hock-bone to the extremity below the tail is 
much attended to, and also the depth of the 
thigh to the point of contraction. The posterior 
width of the animal over the thighs is minutely 
observed, and the interior width, or “ twist,” and 
also the lining of it with fat; and if the purse 
be large, solid, and well furnished with a fatty 
secretion. A perpendicular thigh will be ex¬ 
pected which will plumb a line; a protuberant 
thigh is a great deformity. 
The left hand of the judge resumes the ex¬ 
amination on the middle ribs, and moves for¬ 
wards, touching the fore ribs in several places, 
and not omitting the point and top of the shoul¬ 
der, and ending with the neck vein. The right 
hand follows behind, repeats the touches, and 
verifies or contradicts the conclusions of the 
left, and may discover places to bo touched that 
the left had passed over. The girth is to be 
carefully examined, if the joining of the ribs 
with the shoulder be not widely discernable, or 
filled up bej'-ond discovery, as it should be. The 
depth is to be marked, that it descend to the 
level of the lower part of the belly, and mea¬ 
sure in a straight line from the fore to the hind 
legs. For this purpose, the flank of the fore 
girth must fill the cavities of junction of the 
body with the fore and hind quarters. The 
neck and brisket are examined, and must be full 
and fleshy, and attach the shoulder backwards 
in a swelling junction, and slope to the head in 
a gentle and very graduated taper. 
If the judge approaches the animal on the 
posterior parts, the rump is first- touched and 
grasped by the right hand, and the flank by the 
left. The right hand is then removed to the 
hook-bone and short ribs, while the left grasps 
the middle ribs, and progresses to the fore blade, 
the right following along the back of the animal 
till it meets the left on the top of the shoulder. 
In passing round the head, the neck and bris¬ 
ket are examined, the width of the latter being 
carefully remarked, and the former seen to be 
full and fleshy. other side of the beast is 
examined by the touch of the hands, and the 
termination is made at the twist and purse, 
where the inspection began on the left side. 
The cylindrical body of an ox should approach 
the form of a square as near as possible, and 
the original structure is the chief conducement 
to this purpose being effected; and the full fat¬ 
tening fills up the cavities that may be impos¬ 
sible to prevent. The back is perfectly straight 
from the top of the shoulder, or root of the 
horns, to the rump or set-on of the tail, whence a 
line hangs plumb to the under part of the thigh, 
and squaring the buttock. From this point a 
line is straight to the lower shoulder along the 
flank, the end of the ribs, and the fore girth, 
requiring a protuberant flank, an arched swell¬ 
ing of the ribs and a fullness of fore girth, and 
a flattened shoulder, without an outward ex¬ 
tension or irregular projection of the bones. 
A straight line levels the belly from the center 
of the fore legs to the position of the purse in 
the middle twist of the hams. The upper and 
lower straightness of the square are not very 
difficultly attained ; the side-lines are the great 
objection, and constitute the chief deficiency of 
the animal frame. Not one breed of cattle that 
is yet seen in Britain possesses all the necessary 
qualities. A single property is marred by one 
or more deficiency, and very often a number of 
the latter combine to overthrow an individual 
preeminence. The Short-horn breed immeasu¬ 
rably excels all others in the ample development 
of the hind quarter. The length of the rump, 
width and depth of the thigh, are unequalled; 
and every part is excellent from the extreme 
posterior to the middle ribs. From this point 
forwards the same excellence does not prevail; 
the fore girth is often deficient, the shoulder is 
projecting sideways and the top often bare of 
flesh; the neck is thick and shaggy, with loose 
leather, and the whole fore-quarter of the ani¬ 
mal exhibits a heavy coarseness in bones and 
skin which the breed may have inherited from 
the female progenitor in the Galloway cow. The 
very best breeders have not been able to banish 
this property from their herds. The width of 
the hind-quarter very well extends the line of 
straightness along the side of the carcase ; the 
flank is not deficient, and the curvature of the 
ribs is convenient; the quantity of offal makes 
no outward intrusion, but the fore girth often 
shows a cavity; the shoulder projects too far, 
destroys the longitudinal squareness, and ap¬ 
proaches the form of a trapezium. In the fore¬ 
quarters, both the Hereford and Devon breeds 
excel the Short-horns: the fore-girth is more 
full, and the shoulder more flat, sloping very 
beautifully both to the ribs and neck, and is 
consequently better covered with flesh on every 
part, the very late parts included, on the fore 
point and extreme top. But then all animals of 
these breeds lose the width behind the hook- 
bones, and slope to the posterior buttock, nar¬ 
rowing the twist and lessening the quantity of 
the most valuable part of the carcase. The su¬ 
periority of the Short-horn breed on this point 
outbalances the objectionable fore-quarter; and 
the animal, of all beasts that are fattened, ap¬ 
proaches nearest to the square form, and is very 
