n
identify and claim his own stock.

The branding is usually done during a round-up when every calf found is
caught and branded in the brand of its mother. If a calf remains
unbranded until after it is weaned and quits its mother, it becomes a
maverick and is liable to be lost to its owner. A calf, if left to
itself, will follow its mother for several months and then leave her to
seek its own living. Occasionally a calf does not become weaned when
it should be, but continues the baby habit indefinitely. If a yearling
is found unweaned it is caught and "blabbed" which is done by fitting a
peculiarly shaped piece of wood into its nose that prevents it from
sucking but does not interfere with feeding.

If a calf loses its mother while very young it is called a "leppy."
Such an orphan calf is, indeed, a forlorn and forsaken little creature.
Having no one to care for it, it has a hard time to make a living. If
it is smart enough to share the lacteal ration of some more fortunate
calf it does very well, but if it cannot do so and has to depend
entirely on grazing for a living its life becomes precarious and is apt
to be sacrificed in the "struggle for the survival of the fittest."

If it survives the ordeal and lives it bears the same relation to the
herd as the maverick and has no lawful owner until it is branded. If
an unbranded calf has left or lost its mother it has lost its identity
as well and finds it again only after being branded, although it may
have swapped owners in the process. Theoretically, a maverick belongs
to the owner of the range on which it runs, but, practically, it
becomes the property of the man who first finds and brands it.

Although the branding is supposed to be done only during a round-up
there is nevertheless some branding done in every month of the year.
The ranchman is compelled to do so to save his calves from being
stolen. Therefore early branding is generally practiced as it has been
found to be the best safeguard against theft. Either the spring or
fall is considered a good time to brand, but the only best time to
brand a calf is when you find it.

Dishonest men are found in the cattle business the same as in other
occupations and every year a large number of cattle are misappropriated
and stolen from the range. Cattle have been stolen by the wholesale
and large herds run off and illegally sold before the owner discovered
his loss. Calf stealing, however, happens more frequ