It might stray away after
all, or it might be driven away. Hence, in some forgotten time,
our shrewd Spaniard invented a system of proof of ownership which
has always lain at the very bottom of the organized cow industry;
he invented the method of branding. This meant his sign, his
name, his trade-mark, his proof of ownership. The animal could
not shake it off. It would not burn off in the sun or wash off in
the rain. It went with the animal and could not be eradicated
from the animal's hide. Wherever the bearer was seen, the brand
upon its hide provided certain identification of the owner.
Now, all these basic ideas of the cow industry were old on the
lower range in Texas when our white men first drifted thither.
The cattle industry, although in its infancy, and although
supposed to have no great future, was developed long before Texas
became a republic. It never, indeed, changed very much from that
time until the end of its own career.
One great principle was accepted religiously even in those early
and crude days. A man's cow was HIS cow. A man's brand was HIS
brand. There must be no interference with his ownership.
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