The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1893-05-15
CATTLE In THE WEST.
now TIE BIG CATTLE OWNERS M
TEREsTs ARE PROTECTED.

Of Getting Herd That Is Rarely Fol-
lowed Nowadays--The Arrangement Of
Brands aud the Roundup.
1t is common matter Of wonderment
emong eastern folk and others unfanil-
bar with tho grest west and its ways
how the many herds Of cattle that roam
over the immense stretches of unfenced
prairie. and hin pasture are, kept track
Of by their respective owners, and how
stocklnan can possess himself of his wan
dering property, assert his ownership
and realize on it when he wishes to. Of
course the cowboys ride the ranges and
endeavor to keep tho herd within the
bounds of their employers property,
and they succeed in the main. But
where pasture lots are 10, 20 or even 80
or more miles square and unfenced nat.
urally a good many cattle get astray,
wander intoNother ranges and mix with
other herds.
Time WINS when q couple or more adj
venturous young men could start life IN
the west or southwest with no capital OF
outfit but horse apiece at1d'a branding
iron, and in q year or so be worth good
sized fortune in cattle, balt strong pub
lie sentiment working through the ager-
cy Of hesnpen rope put Stop to this kind
Of industry. Cattle thieves hardly exist
today, and SO excellent asystem hash
perfected among cattle owners that now
adays a man need not lose a single steer
If he is careful about his branding.
Every owner has different brand,
and the number OF brands in any one
cattle state runs up into the tens Of thou
sands. They are most of them Of ex-
cesdingly quaint design, and the adyer-
Using columns Of the western country
newspaper often look much like mummy
scrolls covered with Egyptian hero
Elyphics because Of the humorous cuts
Of cattle brands pictured for the infor-
nation Of the ranchers. Sonbtines a
rancher despairs Of inventing new
brand, and then be uses an old one,
placing it or different part Of the ami
NAL from that where the owner of the
original one brands his animals. The
brand is the owners title deed to tho
steer, and it is respected.
An association is formed among the
cattle owners III each far western state
to deal with estrays. Cftentimes this
business is locked after by a state board
of commissioners appointed by the gov
ernor. The various brands used by tho
owners are Registered, with minute ac-
curacy of design, position and other par
ticulars, at the Office of the secretary Of
the association or commission. When
the roundup is made on each ranch and
Gil the cattle gathered together for ship
ment, there are always q great many es-
trays--cattle that have wandered from
other ranges-among the herd. Some
times there may be strange cattle from
half dozen or a dozen different herds.
Instead of notifying the owner to
"coine over and get his beaets' the co.
trays are either shipped to Chicago, Ham
Gas City or wherever the market may be
along with the regular herd or are sent
to designated center, where all estrays
may be gathered together at the round
up season. In the latter case when a
sufficient number have been collected,
the '.estray herd" Is shipped to market.
Men are appointed at the stockyards by
the association or the governor to in
spect the herds as they arrive and to
look after their sale. The estrays arc
sold in the regular way, and the money
Is usually sent direct by Che inspector at
the market to the owners Of the brands
worn by the cattle so sold. This official
makes it his business to keep track Of all
the stock1nen, and the money realized on
an estray rarely fails to reach the owner
Of the steer.
The amount of money realized at mar
ket on estTays and reniitted to the own
ers through the associations runs from
800, 900 to $500, goo in every season for
each of the several big cattle raising
states. In 1891, for instance, the number
Of estrays from Montana sold in st. Paul
and Chicago was 1870, and some $780,
600 was realized on their sale and re-
mitted through the association to the
rightful owners.
The fence question is an old and per-
picking one, and many and sanguinary
have boen the wars in Texas and other
cattle states between fencers and fence
cutters. It has been jqdicially decided
even that q man must not fence in his
land under some circumstances. The
fence around 80-nile square lot is apt
to be in the way of travellers, and when
the mail goes that way the fence has
been declared Illegal But often stock
men don't wont to fence. The western
stockman who raises cattle on the I'M
bounded prairie knows nothing Of the
harassment that afaicts the suburban
resident whose chickens viii fly over tho
neighbours fences. New York Sun.