The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-01
BATHS FOR TEXAS CATTLE.
a REMEDY BELIETED TO HAVE BEEN
FOUND ron TEXAS FEVER.

IlEItuB NmeN Nhuh hhith hntI NsNa
Importance OF the Discovery 60 Texas.
BAN ANTONIO, Tex, July 27.-An event of
the greatest Importance to the cattle industry
eG.Texas Is tho recent decision OF the Live Stock
ganitary Commission OF tho state of Kansas
that cattle from the Texas fever district OF
thisSState, against which there has heretofore
been n rigid quarantine, may DO admitted into
the State Of Kansas after they have been
edipped' and the ticks which are now known
20 be tho means Of contagion Of the disease
among Northern cattle have been got rid OF. 1t
A proposed to dip the cattle from the pro-
ecribed counties Of the Panhandle at Fort
Worth, while those from this section will be
dipped here.
The discovery that the Southern cattle tick
was the cause of Texas fever and was the sole
aRonoy by which the disease was transmitted
from Southern TO Northern cattle when the two
were brought into contact was made some time
ego and is now generally accepted rs a fact
among oattlemen. As soon as this important
discovery was made the vital Importance OF
discriminating these parasites became apparent
and steps werc taken toward experimenting
along that line by the United States Bureau Of
Animal Industry. The Southern cattle do not
sicken, but the quarantine restrictions against
their transportation and marketing in Northern
territory has had q blighting effect upon tho
cattle industry south Of the Texas fever limo.
The experiments of dipping cattle for the de-
struction of ticks were undertaken Mt the ARri-
cultural Experiment Station OF the University
Of the State Of Missouri, at Columbia, Mo-, and
have proved entirely successful. II was dis
covered'that the direct cause Of Texas fever is a
Observation-Disclosures micro.organism and
that the transmission Of this micro-organism
from Southern cattle to native Northern cattle
In natural outbreaks is effected by the South
ern cattle tick and by this means only.
During the past two years exhaustive ex-
%periments have boon made with the Texas
fever tick at tho Santa Gertrudes ranch. stu
ated in Nueces. county, Texas, south OF here,
and the results were the same as those at the
Missouri experiment station. 1t was then sug-
Rested that could Some method be devised
whereby Southern cattle could be entirely freed
from the ticks, their transportation into the un.
infected district might be carried on without
restriction during the entire year, whereas 1t Is
at present possible only from Nov. 10 to Feb. 10.
1t was q problem how to do this. AS there
are thousand Of cattle within the infected dis
trict, the greater number OF which arc very wild
and have never been handled, it would be impos-
bible, OF course, to apply any remedy to them by
hand. 1t was then decided that the only prac-
ticable means would bo to run them through a
disinfecting bath, or, as it Is termed, TO dip
them. X. J. Kleberg, the manager of the Santa
Gertrudes ranch Of ! 200. 900 acres. constructed
q dipping vat which Is sufficiently large to al.
low the complete immersion of q full. grown
animal. He placed this vat at the disposal OF
the United States Bureau Of Animal Industry
and also furnished the necessary cattle to carry
ON experiments for the purpose OF finding a
disinfectant which when applied to the ami
mails in the form Of q bath would destroy the
ticks attached to them. The most important
point to be considered in those experiments was
that the disinfectan. should not injure the cat
tie, even though the injury be slight and of a
passing nature. This was tho only barrier to
success In many of the experiments. There waf
great difficulty encountered in 9
line Of distinction between the power of re-
sistance Of the animal and that Of the parasite
against the caustio effect Of tho various disin
fectants used. Many disinfectants, when ap
piled In a sufficiently strong solution, destroyed
have renaored them FOR a time unit for trans
ont kinds Of preparations are used in which t.
dip the:cattle, the:most successful being certain
COTTON and mineral oils with a slight mixture
The dipping station at tho Santa Gertrudea
large numbers of cattle, in order that younl
Satv's All Mn OF these sse pens pea &c eI &c a,P PRs la msy one ne s sr
f SIlls ve een i, stfSS niEqt Of q m mssaiHtite eo am eepnee det
With one, another, the dipping vat being con
Is thirty, feet long at the top and fifteen fee
at the bottom, 1t is built of ,4x4-inch up
It Is two feet wxfde at tie bottom and seyei
let se ss N nil eSapi to a ! greater ss. rs do otRS t tSss d aTG feet Ss
at which point it holds about $500 gallons. j
heavier end Of which ends on the floor in th
vat between the extended sides Of the chute. -
The trap door. which is :four~by eight feet
turns on a bolt and Is located seven feet from
the hntt0m OF The vat and two feet from TN
surface Of the dip when this amounts to 2,5o,
g Sfi tSe animals nhiS in q false q bo s9mP'e diped imp SndeI
meath the trap door ,compels the animals t
Rwim forward and make room for those follow
ting, as the vat Is narrow enough to prevent a.
&nimal from turning around in it.. An inclin
is a platform sixteen feet long, four feet wild
where fw It g 9as. y,S wit tn the the i,cihS, in int the y Ea3
fenced IN with boards and slopes slightly +
The vat is provided with a tongue-and-groove
cover, which. for convenience OF handling;
one side Of the vat. That side for the purpose 9
drainage is built slightly, higher than the othel
The cover protects the dip from the sum- rail-
w Tss G : tnnms,sp4p m c PROCESS s,d Is ~ very r. h1sns% t6s
ting out q those which srs not to BE- treated
narrow chute. Thish & y Just 'Side H eno assh' t
OF the chute Is a swinging gate manipulated b
p man standing on a triangular platform abov
Il. BY, this means all tho calves are separate
from the cows, and any animal which ma
have escaped the first cutting out in the larg
pen is hero separated from the herd. Tt
cattle pass through the next pens and thenC
onto the trap door which throws them one b
ono into the vat. More than 1000 head
range cattle have been dipped IN a few houl
ct the Santa Gertrudes ranch, These vii
cattle need no urging, They quickly see thl
their only escape Is through the vat. and the
plunge right In and follow each other in quic
succession. Gentle cattle are hard to handl
They must be driven to the trap door ar
pushed into the vat. More than 10000 heG
Of cattle have been dipped in this experiment
vat and not one of them has met with O
accident of any kind.
IN THE FROG TRADE
S9asna xEuu,s vN'ox oF Iat,btnr .,,t Meal.