Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1904-03-04
JUDGING CATTLE.
The Touch ~ welI M Eye In r.s>.-
tfa1 In Making selections

kHaA N maktmX <CI<CttOuH-
An expert Judge. says the Philadei-
phia Record. should be able to select IN
animal by the sense OF feeling, and In
judging cattle the touch as well as the
eye Is brought into request. according
to an authority. Except In regard to
certain points OF conformation and col.
or, some experts are by no means sure
that touch" is not the most important
qualification. The skin and the fesh
can only be fully examined by touch
or handling i'm ascertaining II the bones
are well covered with flesh and also II
the latter Is soft to the touch and ample
In quantity on the examined points.
The squeeze of the palm of the hand
Is not so delicate as the touch OF the
tips OF the fingers. The former ascer-
tains the quantity; the latter judges the
quality. The touch may be hard or
mellow, thin or harsh, good or bad, as
1t Is frequently termed. A slow feeder
is marked by having thick set, hard,
short hair. which constitutes bad
! touch; thin. meager, papery skin. COW
cred with thin, silky hair, though the
opposite OF the one just mentioned. does
not constitute a good touch. but is in
dicative of weakness OF constitution,
though probably of good breeding quail
ties A good touch will be found In
thick, loose skin. floating. as 1t were,
on layer Of soft fat, yielding to the
least pressure. springing back toward
the fingers like piece of soft, thick
channels leather and covered with thick
soft. glossy hair. which looks rich and
beautiful and seems warm and CON-
Portable to the animal A curly pile OF
soft hair indicates a vigorous constitu-
ton and also q propensity to fatten.
Such a skin is termed "mossy" from re-
sembling a bed OF fine soft moss. The
sensation OF fine touch is very graft
flying to the handler. The animal Is
liked, and more especially IL 1t is ac-
companled by symmetrical form.
Long practice is required to appre-
ciate n fine touch, but when il is ac
quired It Is alone sufficient to estimate
the feeding properties OF an OK. In a
fat animal the position OF the flesh on
the carcass Is a great consideration.
The finest meat lies on the loins and
rump and on the fore and middle ribs
Consequently that OK that carries the
largest quantity Of beef on these parts
is the most valuable. The other parts,
OF various qualities and used for soups
and sailing, do not fetch the high price
of the parts described. The point on
top OF the rump is the first part of a
feeding OK that shows fat. and the parts
that are last in being covered with flesh
are the top OF the shoulder and the
point OF the shoulder joints. When
these points are felt to be we'll covered,
then the other and better parts may be
considered to be in perfection. and a
prime condition may be expected. But
the general handling must establish the
real condition. for there is q wide differ
ence between the apparent and real fat
ness OF an OK. The flesh OF an OK that
appears very fat to the eye may feel
loose and fiabby, but truly fattened
animal always feels hand fat" Such
handlers never deceive the butchers.
while loose fsttenings never kill we'll