During the latter period under review material changes had come about. The luxuriant growth of grass was found only in small areas; the brush along the streams was largely destroyed, so that browsing, that in the early days saved the lives of thousands of cattle, was no longer a resource; the homeseeker had squatted along the rich valleys, and long lines of wire fences obstructed the free movement of cattle before the storm; the railroad lands had been sold and largely fenced, thus more effectually hemming in the storm-pushed animals. A striking peculiarity of the range-raised cattle is that if you destroy the perfect liberty of action they at once become dependent--lose their will power and rustling qualities. Illustrative of this numerous instances could be cited where range cattle, drifting before a storm, came upon a fence that they could not pass through and in utter helplessness walked back and forth along the fence until they fell exhausted, one upon another, and died by the hundred. With their ranges restricted and fence obstructions on all sides, it became evident to cattle owners that the open range business must soon be reduced to a matter of history, or the settlements in the country be discouraged and the obstructions removed. The paramount question was: “Which of these conditions shall be permitted to materialize?” Stockmen complained bitterly of the failure of the courts to convict persons indicted or arrested for the theft of cattle and made this their rallying cry. There was a very potent reason for whatever truth these allegations contained. Up to 1884 cowboys were chosen with an eye to their expertness in the use of the rope and branding iron. In addition to their regular monthly wages it was quite common for herd owners to pay the boys from $2.50 to $5 per head for all the “mavericks” they could put the company’s brand on, and “rustling for mavericks” in the spring was in order all over the range country. It is currently reported that one cattleman, now high in political preferment, raised the price to $7.50 per head, and in consequence made what newspaper men call a “scoop” on his brethren, who tarried behind in the $5 list. This practice taught the cowboy to look upon the unbranded, motherless calf as common practice or public property, to be gathered in by the lucky finder.