=Rumping.=--This operation requires very skillful work, and calls for a great deal of attention. Points to be attained are a smooth hide free from scores or cuts, and smooth work on the beef. Care must be used in this work to see that the rumper keeps very close to the hide on outside of the leg, in order that the fell-beater may do good work. If the rumper is careless and breaks through the fell, it is impossible to carry this down smoothly. In working around the tail, care must be taken not to cut into the lean meat, especially on thin cattle, where there is comparatively little covering. =Fell Beating.=--If the floorman and rumper do their work properly, it is comparatively easy to do a good job at fell beating. The fell-beaters should then use care to see that they do not tear through, and, in marking with the chopper, to mark in such a way that they tear back instead of cutting off. =Gutting.=--The objects sought for in this particular work are: First, cleanliness, and next, to save the fat smooth and without tearing it around the bones. The liver should be taken out without tearing. Special care should be used in cutting between kidneys, to open in the center without cutting tenderloin. Also to leave all tenderloin in the bullock, for, if any comes out with the “pluck” it is wasted. The workmen should also be careful about cutting intestines or weasands. [Illustration: FIG. 40.--ORDINARY BEEF SPREADER.] =Backing.=--The objects to be attained in this particular work, are: First, smooth hides, free from scores or cuts, at the same time leaving no fat on the hide, and next, particular care should be taken in the work required in the dropping of the hide to see that the fat is not removed from the loins. =Tail Sawing.=--The point in this work is to see that the saw is absolutely in the center, and that the first bone is sawed centrally. Better work can doubtless be done by sawing the tail from the rear, “popping” it twice. =Beef Spreaders.=--In slaughtering cattle it was formerly the custom to use an ordinary spreader as shown in Fig. 40, which spread all carcasses, large or small, a certain distance and kept them spread from the time they were hung until finished splitting. The spring beef spreader illustrated in Fig. 41, is a great improvement over this old spreader. When the cattle are first hung on this appliance the center piece is raised up, allowing the hooks to hang in a normal condition proportionate to the size of the animal which is hung on them. Hanging in this shape, the rumper is given a chance to do his work better. =Splitting.=--Great care should be exercised in this particular work, especially on “hard-bone” cattle. They should split the bone down centrally, the entire length of the carcass. Great care should be taken to see that they split the short fin-bone in the neck, thereby giving the neck-splitter a chance to start centrally with his work. [Illustration: FIG. 41.--SPRING BEEF SPREADER.]