The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-07-25
THR OUTBREAKS OF SPLENIC
FEVER.

about the losses OF stock in the increas'
ino number Of outbreaks OF this dis
ease which are being reported and IN
all of which the mortality Is alarming
No man who owns stock or who mas
care of stock for other people snould
let this season pass without learning
the cause OF this disease and the way
to prevent an attack Of it. 1ncuraole
when once fairly seated, itrUns through
aherd killing some and reducing others
80 as to nearly destroy their value.
But the mysterious and subtle means
of fastening on q herd may be pre-
vented by early care and rigldly en-
forced precautions.
The people beyond the Blue Ridge
have been quarantined against stock
from this j d and by a vigilant main
tenance they know the dread disease
NAV be kept out of their herds, and
they are organized to discover and
promptly fine any person found o
ing Eastern or Southern cattle over the
mountains during the forbidden sea
son. Not so we'll protected are our
non infected farms and herds IN the
East. Or to put it properly our farms
are not protected at all except where
no fence laws and farm fences restrain
n cattle from trespessing on unln-
fected lands.
It has been proven beyond b
shadow of a doubt that the common
cattle ticks, (BoophiIus boUi8. Curtice)
carry the disease 1t is not necessary
to 90 into any of the details here.
Readers can doubtless secure the State
Department of Agriculture literature
on the subject and learn the details
from DIR. Curtice's own pen.
Suffice it that there must be a posi-
tive prohibition of tick infested cattle
ON YOUR unintected pastures if you
would have non infected cattle free
from the disease.
In every case l believe so far now
this year the tick infection has been
traced to infected cattle having been
admitted to the pastures on which un-
infected cattle or susceptible have been
grezed. By susceptible cattle lsmeant
any and every bovine Of any age which
has not been exposed to and had ticks
on it and consequently had the fever
at some previous time. A tlcky n
NAL in passing your door may drop
gravid ticks and these lay eggs for
about q week, the young hatch IN
about three or four weeks, and become
mature ticks in two weeks more II
they find your stock.
If they find your stock you will
know it by an outbreak Of Splenic, or
Southern, Texas, or Spanish Ever, to
your cost. This is sure to be the case
if the ticks find q bovine animal which
has not had the fever before whether
it was Northern Or Southern born. 1t
only needs to have grown out OF calf
hood on land from which ticks have
been debarred.
Cattle owners can break the spell
and Danish the ticks by one or two
seasons vigilant work and the De
partment of Agriculture at Raleigh is
preparing to help them do it.
Ticks have had their day on every
farm where an outbreak has occurred
this year.
II every man who owns or cares for
a ticky animal would destroy the ticks
before they grow large and drop eff
there would hardly be a tick left next
year, and these costly outbreaks would
be of the past.
HOW TO DESTROY TICKS
Hand pick and crush or drop into
kerosene all the large mes. RIb kero
sene and lard in equal parts or the in
animals. Melt the lard over
the fire, emove and stir in the kero
To prevent danger of outbreaks, the
ticks should be killed on cattle which
are to be driven on the highways be
fore they start out Then such cattle
cannot leave ticks as they pass.
Consideration for other people should
lead a driver of cattle to perform this
operation for safety Of stock on
the farms passed through and legal en-
actment should be invoked if this as
preventive is neglected.
By these neal the quarantine line
now maintained at the summit of the
Blue Ridge may be neglected and the
State, freed from ticks enjoy unre
strained trade and trafi3 in stock with
the West and North much to our gain.
FRANK E. EMERY.
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