Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-10
A SMALL TORMENTOR.
How the Insignificant Tick Has Made
Life q Burden on Jamaica.
DESTROYING REFUSE OF A CITY.
Ice Cream Prescribed by Doctors for Ger
tain Stomach Troubles.
PLAYING CHESS BT TIE TELEPHONE
WRITTEN FOR TIL. DrspArcH.I


On the beautiful West Indian island,
Jamaica, the grass tick is an almost in
visible insect, but its power of torture is, In
proportion to its size, probably greater than
that of any creeping thing, and the whole
island is infested with it to degree that
makes life burden. It is impossible to
walk in field or pasture" for few yards
without being covered with the insects, and
the suferings of the unfortunate being who
happens to brush his shoes or clothes against
the blade of grass or leafy bush on which
they cluster in thousands soon reach an
agonizing stage. The sensation once felt
can never be forgotten, and it resembles
nothing so much as the fierce pricking Of .
thousand needles.
The onslaught Of the tick Is not In one
place alone, but all over the body, for no
sooner is the "nest," which looks like an
innocent lump of smut, disturbed than each Of
the tiny specks of which it is composed starts
out on an expedition for himself, and trav-
els as far as his hunger will allow him be-
fore settling down on his new feeding
ground. Not only is it impossible to go
out without being attacked, but the ticks
actually blow into the houses on the breeze,
and sticking" forms recognized part Of
the Jamaicans' toilet
But the inconvenience and anguish caused
by these vicious and all-pervading insects is
not confined to human beings. The cattle
and horses in the pastures are so distressed
by them that the cattle and horse-rearing
industry Of the island are seriously threat
apad 10 rruySr1o1 in,bf for
that has been out at pasture for day or
two, to come in so covered with ticks that
in cleaning him the hair comes off in large
patches all over his body. So instinctiveiy
do cattle know the terrors OF the tick
on slaught that they will often refuse to be
driven into pasture where the insect il
more than usually prevalent.
The plague has come to be so terrible thas
1t has occupied the attention Of the Fellows
of the Linnaean Society of England. who
have come to the sad conclusion that, ac-
cordinS to the present state of human
knowledge on the subject, there is nothing
for the afflicted iuhabitant. of Jamaica 90
do but to bear their heavy burden as best
they can. The cause of the scourge is stated
as two-fold. In the first place, the burning
of grass, which at one time WAS very COM
mon in the island, has been discontinued to
a large extent, and, in the second place, the
Jamaicaus are paying heavy price for try
ing to destroy the balance OF na ture in the
island for the benefit OF their sugar canes.
The cane-piece rat ate the sugar cane and
cut down the profits of the planter. and in
an evil moment the Government lis
tened to the insistent demand Of the
planters for the Indian mongoose, which
was said to be unequaled as a rat killer. The
mongoose came and, multiplying at q prodig-
tou5 rate, spread over the country. He
drove the rat out Of the canepieces into the
cocoanut trees, to the manifest detriment OF
the fruit thereon, and turned cane-eater him
self. But this was not all. He decimated the
poultry yard of every estate and "pen" in
the island, and in certain parts fowls and
eggs are hardly to be had. When hungry he
would attack young pigs in the pastures He
then turned on the harmless yellow snakes,
which he made short work Of, and is now
effecting the destruction of the lizards and
birds which formerly preyed on ticks He
has become, in fact, one OF the curses of the
country and has developed another curse al
most as malignant as himself, the tick, and
between the two, the inhabitants of Jamaica
are in sorry plight.