Cattle Brands

Those of us who have dug even a little under the scenic surface of Arizona know the importance of cattle brands. A rancher's brand often is more intimately part of him than is his own name. It is not only burned into the hides of his steers, but is printed on his stationery, engraved on his table silver, inlaid in his guns, grown in flowers in the garden of his home, even forked into the pies and iced on the cakes served at his table. If he is disgraced Following are listed a number of the more common primary characters and from these a great number of combinations and variations have evolved.

A short horizontal line is called a Bar.

Longer line is called a Rail.

Two together are Two Rails.

But three or more are Stripes.

One slanting rail becomes a Slash.

This is a Bench, or Half Box.

Other Half Boxes.

Two Half Boxes make a Box, don't they?

Circle, and called that.

Squashed, it's called Goose Egg or Mashed On.

Quarter Circle.

Half Diamond.

But over something it's a Rafter.

Just what it looks like, a plain T.

But if it acquires legs-Walking T.

If it drags, it's the Drag T.

Or wings-Flying T.

If it leans, it's Toppling, Tilting, or Tumbling T.

Lying down, it's Lazy T.

Here it's the Quarter Circle T.

And now the T Quarter Circle.

Other letters and numerals can behave just like the T. So can many objects.

If a letter extends as if in a goshawful hurry, it runs. Thus the Running W.

In this form, not monograms as you might guess. This is the H L Connected brand.

This is what it looks like; the Hat brand. Remember there are many kinds of hats.

Beyond the simple lines, letters and numerals, there is literally no limit to brand design. Picture brands are the most interesting. Combinations are the most intricate and catchy, and the "rules" for brand reading on the range are never fixed but are variable. Try now to name the following sets of brands. (Correct names are printed below).

Number 1 is the JR connected: 2 is a Diamond; 3 is the Diamond E connected, or may be called plain Diamond E; 4 is the Seven Up; 5 is the Keyhole; 6 is a Broken Arrow; 7 is Miss Katie Barr's brand; 8 four rails make a Pigpen, don't they?; 9 is Christmas; 10 is Box O; 11 is O Box or Circle Box; 12 is Quarter Circle Box; 13 is a Rocking Chair; 14 is a Doll Baby; 15 is a Bell; 16 is that famous game of Keno; 17 is a Tilting. Tumbling or Toppling P; 18 is the Chamber Two Corn Cobs brand; 19 is the Lazy Y4 connected; 20 is a Half Circle V.