El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-04
incubation Against Texas Fever

For several years some cooperative
experiments have been made by the
Texas and Missouri experiment. sta
items, which have been designed to pro-
duce immunity in north arm calves
against Texas fever.
These have embraced:
1st. Inoculations with the blood Sc
rum of immune Southern cattle.
I'd. Tick infeststions of young an
finals.
Sd. NEGOTIATIONS with infected i'm
mune blood.
The result of this work is now on the
press as bulletin No. So, which will be
distributed about December let to all
whose names have been sent for re-
ports on live stock.
We are pleased to announce that
these experiments have reached such a
stage that the greatest confidence is
felt in their practical application.
Over four hundred young cattle of
fine breeding have been inoculated and
exposed to regular Texas conditions
with loss of about s per cent. from
fever.
In order to secure the best res ults,
we recommended that young cattle,
from eight to twelve months of age be
diet of young calves, and still harder to
save grown cattle when they have be-
come sick with Texas fever.
The most suitable time for inocula-
ton is about December and January.
The cattle should be kept in q dry lot,
and after a week or ten days rest they
may be inoculated with l &C. (about 16
drops) of the blood of an immune
Texas steer. This will produce a
genuine case of Texas fever in about
eight to ten days, in which the semp,r.
ature will range from 1O4 to LOG de-
grees and continue some four or Fl We
days. The calves will appear dull,
gaunt and care but little for their
food. Red urine is seldom observed.
When sick they should be keptas quiet
as possible. Much mischief is done by
attention and useless med
ioines. The best medicine for q fevered
calf Is grass and green onts. These
keep the bowels open. Where the
prickly pear is obtainable it may be
used with success.
In all cases keep the bowels open,
either by suitable diet or by salts in
doses Of twelve ounces.
After the fever falls the calves will
resume eating and appear normal. The
fever rises second time. about the
day after incubation, and fol-
lows course similar to the first one
1t Is irregular in some cases, but as q
general thing it terminates about the
'ortieth day after incubation.
Allowing fifty or sixty days to re-
cover fully from the incubation,
the calves may then be put out on past
Ire.
If the winter has been q cold one,
,he early spring ticks may not be vir-
llent. The reason seems to be THE:
hat in cold weather the eggs may lie |
or weeks before patching and during |
his cold spell the vitality of the Texas |
ever germs, in the eggs. may be de-
troyed by the cold. Therefore, we
must be somewhat cautious in conclud- |
ng that the calves are thoroughly i'm
nune because they carry few ripe |
icks without apparent sickness.
The real test comes about June or
uly. Some will relapse at this time |
md may even die of fever, especially |
f they have been free from ticks all |
pring. 1t seems in :hose cases which
we're inoculated, say in Decem Der. and
lave no considerable number of ticks
~, say April. that they should be
Fiven q second dose. All inoculated
alves should be we'll nourished the
irst season, especially during tie hot