There were no fences in the West that I knew, and their place was taken by the cowboy and the branding-iron.

The cattle wandered free.

Each calf was branded with the brand of the cow it was following.
Sometimes in winter there was what we called line riding; that is, camps were established and the line riders traveled a definite beat across the desolate wastes of snow, to and fro from one camp to another, to prevent the cattle from drifting.

But as a rule nothing was done to keep the cattle in any one place.

In the spring there was a general round-up in each locality.