106 Western Live-stock Management 
and lasting injury. With horses, the brand is applied 
almost instantly, but with cattle the iron must be held to 
the skin for a moment, since it takes a little time for the 
hair to burn through. If the iron is very hot, however, 
the work is performed as soon as the iron strikes through 
the hair. One should not be satisfied, however, with 
brands that only affect the hair. They look all right, but 
in the fall they cannot be found. 
Another very important factor in making a brand legible 
is the way the animal is held. If held absolutely solid 
so that he cannot jump around and cause the iron to slip, 
a good brand can be made; but if he can move at all, a 
blur is sure to result. One of the strong points in favor 
of the chute method of branding is that the animals can 
be held more securely so that there is less danger of blurred 
brands. 
The common locations for the brand are the hips, 
thighs, sides, and shoulders. Of these, the hips and side 
are by far the best. Between the two, the preference is 
for the hips. When animals are running out in the open, 
a brand on the side can be more easily seen; but when 
crowded together in a corral or cutting pen, the hip brand 
is more convenient. If the brand is placed on the side it 
must be well up toward the backbone, for otherwise it can- 
not be seen when the animals are crowded. A larger brand 
can be placed on the side than on the hip, although a brand 
larger than can be put on the hip is seldom necessary. 
The shoulder presents an excellent surface on which to put 
a brand, but the animal must stand broadside toward 
you and there must be no other animals in the way or the 
brand cannot be seen. The thigh brand also cannot be 
seen when the animal is in a bunch. This is a very im- 
portant consideration, since it is essential that the brands 
