The herald., 1897-09-23
The Texas Tick and Texas Fever

The Texas Tick and Texas Fever
This subject is one Of exceeding prac-
tical Importance and Of no less real
scientific interest. l know of few discov-
cries in science that are more startling
in their significance and marvellous rev.
tion between the Texas cattle tick and
the dread Texas fever that is often SO
fatal to whole herds of cattle. If the
department of agriculture of the United
more than to work out this problem il
would have demonstrated it's great value
and right to exist. 1t is as patent that
many people that are well informed in
most matters are entirely at sea regard
ing this matter of the exact part that the
tick plays in injecting locality, and its
cattle, with the fever plague.
One man, at a recent institute, thought
that the blood changed to eggs, which
were poured out of the mouth. Another
that the Texas tick on our northern cat
tie, though it had been there for months,
was a menace to their safety He claimed
to have received his authority from a
veterinary surgeon. Very likely he mis-
understood the veterinarian. This sub
ject is also very practical one right here
in Southern California, for have been
consulted from two localities, where
Texas or eastern cattle have been
brought in during the past year, and
where there was an outbreak of Texas
fever amorE the cattle of the neighbor-
hood. In both cases the ticks were sent
to me. One of these places was in our
own county, near San Gabriel, the other
in Ventura county, near Santa Paula.
HISTORY
1t has long been known that it was not
safe to bring cattle from Texas or the
contiguous territory into the northern
states. as Illinois, Michigan, ETC., and
turn them into or even drive them
through fields where the native cattle
were being pastured or were to be
pastured. The mere driving Of such
cattle through field would bring the
deadly fever to cattle turned into the
field just afterward. Thus many states
passed laws either prohibiting the bring
ing of Texas cattle into their limits or
forbidding that they be removed from
the cars while passing through. Thus the
fact of contagon was known, but the
real explanation was for long time not
understood.
THE REAL FACTS
DR.. Cooper Curtice, working for the
government, was the first to unravel
the mystery. He determined that the
Texas cattle fever is microbe disease;
that the germs are in the blood of the
Texas cattle continuously, but owing.
doubtless, to some preventive agent Of
the blood were unable to work any seri-
Gus harm to the Texas cattle. Let even
q mere atom of this blood pass into the
blood or circulation of northern cattle
and terrible fatal malady was intro
duced. Northern cattle had nothing in
their blood that rendered them immune
DR.. Curtice further determined that
ticks on the Texas cattle carried the
blood and fatal germs to the other cattle
It probably happens in this way: A tick
on the Texas COW, his sucking tube still
red with blood, falls to the ground as
the cow is driven through the field. If
the COW lies down several ticks may let
so their hold and drop from their former
post. We have seen just such a case
The native COW lying in the same place
ON the same grass plat becomes host to
the tick guest. AS the tick CONNIE ncee
to suck the blood some of the old blood
with the deadly microbes or fatal vac
cine passes into the circulation of the
rev host Thus we now understand why
Texas fever comes and how the ticks
are the carriers of the deadly contagion
1t would seem from this. as is without
doubt true, that unless the Texas ticks
have recently been on Texas cattle they
could not bear the fatal microbes and
give the fever.
Ticks reared on northern or Califor-
MIA cattle, While they may seriously an
noy the cattle, much more than they
would Texas cattle that have learned to
endure such stings of outrageous for
tune. Will not give the disease known
as Texas fever.
I knew of case where Texas ponies
were brought in the spring of the year
to Michigan and herded in pasture
Afterward Cleveland bay horses were
turned in, and the ticks increased Oh the
Michigan horses to an alarming extent
The horses were seriously injured, anG
some actually died from the effects OF
the tormenting bites of the ticks. If
these ticks had got onto cattle as they
did in several cases they would have
worried the cattle seriously, but could
not have given the Texas fever. Thus
while the ticks are always to be dreaded
as they are terrible annoyance 10
cattle and horses, wounding seriously
the flesh as they pierce it to suck the
blood, when introduced directly to
cattle in California or northern cattle
from cattle of the vicinity of Texas
they are more to be feared and dreaded
as they are very likely to convey the
germs of the terrible fever, from cattle
to cattle.
The ticks. when full of blood, fall
from the cattle, and when nearly ma
ture lay their eggs. These come from
the ovipositor, or egg tubes. ard not
from the mouth. 1t is true that when
the smaller males mate with the larger
female ticks which are often one-half
inch long and two-thirds as broad, they
deposit the sperm fluid in an opening
near the mouth. And as the eggs pass
from the egg tubes they pass near this
sack to be fecundated and so appear to
come from the mouth. The female
ticks lay eggs for week, and the eggs
were found by DR.. Curtice to hatch in
about month. These eggs were in
cool room. I think they would have
incubated sooner in the hot sunshine Of