The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-13
STOCK LAW GROWING
The Advantages of it TO Cat
tIemen is Pointed Out.
A Map Showing The Free Rarge and Stock
Law Territories. Federal and State
Quarantine inc.
Quarantine Line.

The North Carolina Department of
Agriculture has just issued a bulle
tin on Regulations for the Control
of Contagious Diseases of Live Stock"
by DIR. Cooper Curtice. State veterina-
rian. 1t is a pamphlet of 80 pages
containing official notices, advice and
State stocklaw map.
The map is a valuable one, fairly
accurate. showing by colors the fence
law or free range districts and the
no-fence or stocl-law district. Also
the United States and North Caro-
lima cattle quarantine line for 1900.
a glance at the map will show that
from modest beginning, made under
u local option law about a quarter
of century ago in the vicinity of
Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties,
the stocklaw has spread until il oc-
cupies more than half of the cultiva-
BILE areas of the State. The portions
it does not occupy are for the most
part either heavily timbered mountain
lands or the pine barrens of the
southeast. or the pocosin and swamp
districts of the east! Even in the
mountains there are counties where
the cattle are kept in pastures. and
although they have not officially
adopted stocklaw. their conditions are
about the same as though they had.
This is the case in Ashe. Allegheny
and part of Wautauga counties.
Explaining and commenting upon
this map. DR.. Curtice says:
''One mountainous count east of
the Blue Ridge is free range. and all
counties excepting Polk, bordering
il, have a strip Of free range next
the Blue Ridge. The harmful effect
that these areas have in perpetuating
ticks and keeping the foot-hill coun
ties in quarantine do not compensate
those counties for the advantage de-
rived from the free pastu'rage therein.
They should be abolished.
with the adoption of stockaw for
the foot-hill counties and their dis
infection and an eastward setting
over of the quarantine line. there will
be no danger so far as tick infection
is concerned in continuing the free
range of the mountains. The climate
therein has always eXterminated the
ticks under the most adverse condi-
ing disposition in the mountains to
adopt stocklaw, and take better care
of cattle. and increase their improved
stock and pasturage. The day is not
far distant when large districts will
he added to the already large areas
in the montains.
THE cutting off of large areas from
the free range in Nash. Wilson. John
ston and Wayne counties. already
shows that the time is not far distant
when that now nearly isolated area
will have entirely disappeared. Tho
recent action of Chatham county in
its adoption of stocklaw for a whole
township, the isolated areas in Moore,
Cumberland and Harnett counties. as
well as recent meetings held to con-
slider the adoption of stocklaw in va
riouS districts, are very favora bic
signs pointing to the adoption OF
stocklaw in that region which is even
now almost separated from the east
ern free range by a stoclllaw belt.
''The adoption of stocllaw is ar,
gued against by some on account of
the expense to the region adopting it
of the fence to be made. An exam
ination of the map shows that less
than twenty miles of fence would
completel., cut off the Wilson dis
trict, would all .the adjoining coun-
ties agree to it. This mileage, in
contrast to that now unnecessarily
kept up, is unimportant. The ~re"+-
er part of the district is already
fenced.
Less than twenty miles of fence
would cut off the Noore-Harnett
county area. and permit the use of
Inn, <Nf nil /Nf
kept up at great expense, for the
enclosure of pastures in which cattle
and hogs can be and will be better
fed than now. In addition. the ex-
pense now entailed by fences, can be
turned into buildings and other per-
manent improvement.
while the adoption of stocklaw by
the entire State will not soon be re-
allied, the writer can, not refrain
from pointing out that it's adoption
would be a great blessing to the free
range counties and IL protection to
the live stock OF the rest of the
State, from communicable diseases. 1t
may here be pointed out that the day
is surely coming when all of the
stocklaw counties will be allowed free
traffic in cattle with all markets of
the world. At that time. if not be-
fore, all intercourse by steer teams
and cattle traffic between the free
range infected by cattle ticks and the
stocllaw counties. will be stopped.
and the chief markets of the former
for beef cattle III this State be cut
off. The future of the live stock in
dustry of this State for all parts will
be aided by the adoption of universal
stock laws.
THAT such action is legitimate and
just is at once apparent when the
menace and. loss to the industry of
the State by cattle ticks and hog
cholera, neither of which can be re-
strained under present conditions, is
considered