The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1920-03-13
Inc Farmer Who
Farmers Doing, of Special Value.

prepared by the United States Depart
ment Of Agriculture)
A real need in agricultural region!
today is more widespread knowledg,
OF how TO judge live stock properly
While the judging of the finest animal:
Is likely to remain an art in which
relatively few persons can attain the
highest standing. nevertheless farmers
as a whole should be thoroughly famil
lar with the general principles of judg
Ing stock. knowledge of this sort is
q real asset.
The art of judging beef cattle is the
foundation Of all beef-cattle shows
and also Is largely the means of de-
| termining the value Of cattle offered
In public sales. 1t serves as basis
for every man who buys and raises
cattle to seek improvement along we'll
recognized forms.
II breeder is not a good judge he
cannot mate individuals so as TO get
the best possible offspring. KnOwl-
edge may be obtained through long ex-
perlence, but systematic course in
Judging may accomplish the same end
at cost of fewer mistakes and
much shorter time. If farmer is a
competent judge of feeders. for ex-
ample, he can 60 TO the market and
save the buying charges or commits.
sions on deal which otherwise would
have to be handled through commits
sion men.
For the man who feeds cattle for
commercial purposes, it is more impor-
tant to study how to judge feeders
than fat cattle. Judging the former
requires more skill than judging the
latter.
Without standards, stock judging
cannot be made success. The small
est cattle owner as well as the man
who owns a large herd needs to be
familiar with the ideal beef type. This
animal, when fat must have a low
set body which is broad, deep and
smooth, with level lines, having a
thick. even covering Of firm flesh.
Hair, hide and bone Of good quality.
together with general character and
style, also serve as an indication Of
the liner parts which cannot be seen.
In learning to judge beef cattle 1t
is necessary to become familiar with
the location and names Of the different
parts of the animal. The names are |
similar In all classes of live stock, and |
can be learned easily by referring to |
illustrations or diagrams. |
The names of wholesale cuts Of the |
beef carcass correspond quite closely
to those of the live animal. the only
difference being that the wholesale car
c.ss contains fewer parts
Three Glasses Of Cattle.
From the butchers standpoint. cat
lie may be divided into three classes
fat cattle, feeders and breeding cat
lie. The first comprises animals ready
or the butchers block: the second is
he unfinished product" and the third
constitutes the class from which the
'thers are produced. In fat cattle.
me must judge according to what the
attic are at the time. In feeders. the
which give promise Of put
ing on the biggest and cheapest gains.
nd developing into the best beef form
rhen fattened, are the ones desired. In
'reeding cattle. the true beef form is
f prime importance. Sut there must .
lso be assurance that the beef char :
cteristics will be transmitted to the
ffspring. ,
Judging Fat Cattle and Feeders.
Fat cattle, so-called, include steers, j..
eifers. calves, cows. and bulls. Fat
teers and heifers constitute by far :
he largest percentage. Each must .
e considered from the butchers =
the finish and quality Of :
esh being of prime importance. Cat :
e bred especially for beef purposes !,
ave a tendency to produce marblei :
leat or to deposit layers of fat ;,
lroughout the lean meat. while in !,
attic bred exclusively for dairy pur- /,
oses. the tendency is to deposit a 9
irplus fat. principally around the in 7
'rnal organs. where II becomes rel :
lively cheap suet and does no. tend
J improve the quality of the lean i.
eat. In judging feeders. II must be
,rne in mind that they are 'unfin-
he'd" cattle, and therefore do not
I'VE the width and flesh covering OF
t cattle. In general. the same quail
.ations apriy to feeders as to fat Il
title. except that certain poi ITS Of
e score cad must be emphasized
Id others c.inimized. The desirable Il
eder is the one that will dress out a
gh percentage Of high-priced meats
hen finished and slaughtered. tt