Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-04-02
ABOUT CATTLE BRANDS.
KEEPING TRACK OF LIVE STOCK
ON WESTERN PLAINS.
Branding Is an Art ant the Keeping Of
Records 1, a seIenee-FooIlng with
o,Ler Mems Cattle Whom They
Arc Marked.

the tenderioot when coming West ia
How do cattlemen keep track OF
their stockF It does look at first as
II the cattle that are permitted to run
Wild all over the country often stray
ing over 100 miles from the home
ranch, would be irrevocably lost
when the fact Is that il would be z.
very difficult thing for any one 10 at
tempt to take even a single animal
| from any part OF the west and sell il
in any 81 the larger Eastern markets
The cattle all over the West are
identified by brands burnt into the
sides TANKS or shoulders Of tho cattle
and horses, writes George +. Bailey
in the Chicago Inter Ocean These
brands are recorded ia county and
| state Offices and with tho various cat
tie associations.
Inspectors are placed by public and
! private organizations nj the principal
stockyurds and shipping points ready
to seize any animal IL any cas load
for which the shipper cannot show i
clean bill OF sale.
| Every cattle company and each
small farmer Is Obliged 10 have his
recorded brand il he wishes % own
single head OF stock Each cattle
company builds somewhere on tha
range ii has selected. out West
.'home ranch or headquarters.
| At this ranch foreman and i've 10
twenty assistants live and look after
4 the herds Their principal duties arc
to brand calves in the spring 10
/ II 80
market in the fall roundup tho rest
ot the year being spent IN riding the
range looking for mavericks strays
and cattle that have been begged IN
/ getting water.
In the spring each home ranch foro-
man sends out wagons and men 10 Join
with the outfits FROM adjoining ranges,
and the crowd jointly travels an over
the country rounding up" the cattle
at convenient points and brandiOg tho
calves. Each calf receives the brand
Of the COW that il Is following.
The kinds OK brands are lnnumer.
able but may be classified In o half i
dozen class 8. The fixed letter
brands are those carefully made hy
some blacksmith aud fastened into tho
\ 5Eu u y tOns pkt OF IRON
They always make brand tho Same
size Of course as the die ana arc
easy TO usc Senator Carey. Cf WON
Ing used tho fixed brand CY'' for
hi- cattle and many % his ueighbors
usc their initials in branding
One ambitious man. who does not
propose TO lose single head. spreads
his name BAIRD In hugs letters
from bow % sierra on each poor ami
mai hs owns A. the brands grow M
size with the growth OF tha calt. such
4 brand soon grows Iusightly bit Is d
sure preventive of theft, aui that Il
what IL Is there for
The brand. TOO. must De made az
open lines easily distinguished ana
without sharp joining 81 lines. max
Ing n blur when burnt in The
'Tustler or calf thlci ID full OF I'll.
genuity and Is quick to see how
GRAND nay De altered to The advantage
81 his own bank account
One ambitious rustlcr changed the
brand III to Ill and died 81 sore
throat; another invented the hnt-irou
brand designed to cover over and
burn out any small letters.
Bo'ore his invention was patented
the brilliant young genius died o. lead
poisoning in tho midst o. his admir-
ing neighbora A crude genius in
vented the spade brand, which con.
sisted Of heating the spade and slap
ping il into the side Of tho animal to
the destruction Of all prior marks.
This embryo statesmen never ran
Tor Office The corOuer's verdict was
died Of exposure He slept out over
, night IN the bottoms Of the Platte
/ river and never recovered In order
to prevent the altering OF fixed brands
by rustlers bars, circles, half circles
diamonds and squares are placed near
tho letters.
The worst brands to identify or de.
scribe are the Spanish brands from
Texas, and other points south. They
look as If the critter had boon struck
by lightning or bore on It's sides an
old war map OF Russia When an ani-
NAL is sold, outside Of big shipments
TO eastern stock yards the brand Il
, vented" or caacoled." This is done
! by putting on the original brand I'M
der the first burning upside down.
The experience Of Judge Parmolee
recently at the 4 II ranch is al
example Of what occurs every year TO
the delight Of the cow boys The boys
had roped. thrown branded and ear.
marked q yearling bull. When the
ropes were thrown off the bull stood a
moment as II seeking sceae object upon
which il could wreak revenge.
-
: Judge met his vision and tho sceno
changed. The boys said 1t was d
close race. but that the Judge STRUCK
9 a Jay-Eye-See gait and held It to Tn,
, finish at the corral fence. The Judge
says that with proper training anc
/, stjSted with hot iron a Wyoming
steer can throw dust In the eyes Of tn,
$ best kentucky horse The branding