Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-10-10
TEXAS FEVER AND TICKS.
The Losses In this Stale from these Diseases
Amounted 10 $4,000.

|
mention tho loss Of several cows from
"Texas fever" 1t seems that the dis
case has also appeared in other counties.
Mr. Chas. Potty, editor of the Spartan
burg Herald, recently wrote to Prof. G.
e. Nesom, Of Clemson College, about the
loss OF cattle in that and adjoining coun-
ties. Prof. Nesom replied rs follows:
CLEMSON COLLEGE, Sept. 28, 1900.
Mr.. Charles Potty, Spartanburg-Dear
Sir: l am in receipt of your lottor boar
ing recent date, and requesting an article
on Texas fever in cattle. Replying, will
say you could not have chosen q subject
of greater Importance at the present
time to cattlemen in the Piedmont sec.
tion of this State. 1t is important for
two reasons. In tho first place, it causes
serious monetary losses to persons who
| buy and herd cattle for breeding pur-
poses. While l have not tho definite
| figures in hand, am of the opinion that
tho losses in this State last year from
this disease alone aggregated something
ncar $4,000. Secondly, Southern cattle
shippers are quarantined out of all North
ern markets because Southern cattle
| carry this disease to Northern stock
yards. whore serious losses result. Nearly
all shipments from this section 90 to
Charleston, Norfolk and Richmond.
which arc by no means tho largest or
best markets to be found. North Caro-
lima is worry active in securing the release
of much of that State from government
quarantine and extending tho State quar-
antino against territory lying fmthor
south. Unless South Carolina takes hold
of this problem in u business way and
gets control Of tho conditions which pro-
pagato Texas fever, our cattle may soon
be denied admission to all desirable mar
kcts north of the State limo.
All of these things initiate against
successful and profitable stock raising.
except for immediate homo demands.
This disease is now generally known as
Texas fover," because first noted as
being produced in tho North by cattle
shipped from Texas. When occurring in
Northern cattle shipped South it is called
"acclmation fever" "splenic or splenctic
fcvor," southern cattle fovor," "bloody
murrain," stick fever" and many other
local appcllations. OF course "cow doc
tors" call it "hollow horn," "big gall"
"imfaction," otc.
Texas fever has been recognized as a
worry fatal disease in somo parts of tho
world for nearly century. 1t is said
that when John G. Calhoun lived on the
Fort Hill estate cattle purchased from
the mountains wcrc never driven down
until winter, for fear thoy would die of
"mountain distcmper."
But the truo character of tho disease
was not fully studied out until tho cstab-
lishmont Of the bureau Of animal indus
try at Washington. Several of tho State
experiment stations and many stock
owners have co-opcratcd with this
bureau and tho facts developed make the
disease about rs well understood as mala.
ria in man. To make long story short,
all cattle raised in the Southern States.
where cattle ticks arc common, acquire
immunity from the fever when young
and SO never have it any more. Cattle
raised in tho North or anywhere else
"hSiS oilCiC aiC IlO IlCkS HcNCr contract
the disease until brought into contact
with ticks. 1t is patent to everyone that
many diseases do not hurt children, but
often provo fatal to grown people, as,
for example. measles. Now, Texas fevcr
scoms to bc an extreme in this particu-
lar, since calf may get covered with
ticks, have light case Of fever, recover,
and acquire immunity from it thereafter
without tho owner oven noticing it,
while if over year old they suffer very
much, and in adult cattle the death rate
is possibly IS to 90 per cent.
The real cause of the disease is a very
minute organism Urotozoam which in
tests the red blood cells and DESTROYS
them. 1t is Cotton only through the bite
of the common cattle tick (Boophilis
bovis) No ticks, no Texas fever, is an
axiom worth remembering. Where ticks
are common every year and cattle arc
full of 'cm" at all times tho calves be-
come immune and only an occasional
case of "murrain" is reported If care
fully studied tho above facts lead to two
conclusions: First, if cattle have grown
up free from ticks, they must ho kept
free from them or else have Texas fever
Second, if raised where ticks are common
they may be pasturcd anywhere, as they
are no longer subject to this fever.
Since tho passage of tho stock law in
South Carolina ticks have entirely disap-
pcarcd in a great part of tho Piedmont
section, but arc nearly always to be
found in feeding pens whore cattle arc
brought in from many farms and turned
together. One COW with ticks may infcst
a whole pasture with them. The full
ticks drop of, lay eggs, these hatch seed
ticks, which get on the other cattle, and
tho nonimmunes soon develop the
dreaded Texas fever. Anyone can readily
recognize Jhis disease after seeing few
cases. A common beginning is to go
down to look after the herd in the oven
ing and find an animal missing. After q
search it is found obscure corner, stand
ing or lying in tho shade, looks droopy,
cars Topped down, not chewing, nose
dry, high fovcr, quick pulse, rapid
breathing and back archcd. Inspection
thon reveals maybe a few full ticks about
the tanks and uddcr, but most of them
will be small. If urnation is noticed
tho urine is scon to DO deeply tingcd with
blood color and may be almost black.
The animal may appear full and grunt
from time to timo. AS the symptoms
become moro intense staggering is
noticed, some even going around in a