Cattle and Their Diseases: Embracing Their History and Breeds, Crossing and Breeding, and Feeding and Management; with the Diseases to Which They Are Subject, and the Remedies Best Adapted to Their CureJennings, Robert
Science
Cattle and Their Diseases: Embracing Their History and Breeds, Crossing and Breeding, and Feeding and Management; with the Diseases to Which They Are Subject, and the Remedies Best Adapted to Their Cure
Jennings, Robert
Cattle -- Diseases
So much for feeding qualities in the animal, and their conformations
indicative of this kindly disposition. Next come such formations of the
animal itself as are favorable to the growth of fat, other things being
equal. There must be _size_ where large weights are expected. Christmas
beef, for instance, is expected to be large as well as fat. The symbol
of festivity should be capacious, as well as prime in quality. But it is
so much a matter of choice and circumstance with the grazier, that
profit alone will be his guide. The axiom will be, however, as a general
rule, that the better the grazing soil the larger the animal may be; the
poorer the soil, the smaller the animal. Small animals are,
unquestionably, much more easily fed, and they are well known by
experienced men to be best adapted to second-rate feeding pastures.
But, beyond this, there must be _breadth_ of carcass. This is indicative
of fattening, perhaps, beyond all other qualifications. If rumps are
favorite joints and produce the best price, it is best to have the
animal which will grow the longest, the broadest, and the best rump; the
same of crop, and the same of sirloin; and not only so, but breadth is
essential to the consumption of that quantity of food which is necessary
to the development of a large amount of fat in the animal. Thus, a deep,
wide chest, favorable for the respiratory and circulating functions,
enables it to consume a large amount of food, to take up the sugary
matter, and to deposit the fatty matter,--as then useless for
respiration, but afterwards to be prized. A full level crop will be of
the same physiological utility; while a broad and open framework at the
hips will afford scope for the action of the liver and kidneys.
There are other points, also, of much importance; the head must be small
and fine; its special use is indicative of the quick fattening of the
animal so constructed, and it is also indicative of the bones being
small and the legs short. For constitutional powers, the beast should
have his ribs extended well towards the thigh-bones or hips, so as to
leave as little unprotected space as possible. There must be no
angular, or abrupt points; all must be round, and broad, and parallel.
Any depression in the lean animal will give a deficient deposit of flesh
and fat at that point, when sold to the butcher, and thus deteriorate
its value; and hence the animal must be round and full.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account