Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-10-17
far,,1 ana firesiae.
THE TEXAS CATTLE fever.
The Carolina Spartan,

have taken place amongst .pastured
cattle and where there was an intro
duction of cattle into the pasture from
the neighborhood. Believing that 1t
was the Texas Fever" that caused the
deaths, we asked Professor Nesor,
surgeon of Clemson College,
to tell the cattle raisers Of the state
something about this disease. This Is
what he says:
CLEMSON COLLEGE, S. c., Sept. %.
Mr.. Chas. Petty, Spartanburg, s. Z.
Dear Sir-I am in receipt OF your
letter bearing recent date, and request
ing an article on the Texas fever In
cattle. Replying will say that you
could not have chosen subject OF
greater Importance at the present time
to cattlemen in the Piedmont section
of this state. It Is important for two
reasons. In the first place it causes
serious monetary losses to persons
who buy and herd cattle for breeding
or feeding purposes. While have not
the definite figures in hand, am OF the
opinion that the losses in this state
last year from this disease alone, ag-
gregated something near 10,000. Sec
ondly. Southern cattle shippers are
uuarantined out of the northern mark
cts because southern cattle carry disease
TO northern stockyards, where serl-
Gus losses result. Nearly all shipments
from this section go to charleston,
Norfolk and Richmond; which are by
no means the largest or best markets
to be found. North Carolina Is very
active in securing the release OF much
Of that state from government quaran-
tine and extending the state quaran-
tine against territory lying further
south. Unless South Carolina takes
hold of this problem in business way
and gets control of the conditions
which propagate Texas fever, our cat
tie may soon be denied admission to all
desirable markets north Of the state
line.
All of these things initiate against
successful and profitable stock raising
except for immediate home demands.
This disease is now generally known
as Texas fever" because first noted
as being produced from Texas. When
occurring in northern cattle shipped
south it is called" "Acclimation fever"
It Is also known as Red-water,"
"Splenic, or splenetic Fever" South
ern Cattle Fever" Bloody Murrain."
"Tick Fever" and many other local
appellations. OF course, "cow doc
tors" call it hollow horn," "big- gall"
"impoction," &c.
Texas fever has been recognized as q
very fatal disease in some parts of the
world for nearly a century. 1t Is said
that when John G. Calhoun lived on the
Fort Hill estate, cattle purchased from
the mountains were never driven down
to his farm until winter, for fear they
would die of mountain distemper." !"
But the true character Of the disease
was not fully studied out until the es-
tablishment of the bureau Of animal
industry at Washington. Several of
the state experiment stations and
many stock owners have co-operated
with this bureau, and the facts devel-
oped make this disease about as we'll
make long story short, all cattle
raisers in the southern states, where
cattle ticks are common, acquire i'm
munity from the fever when young,
and so never have it any more. Cattle
raisers in the north or anywhere else
where there are no ticks, never con-
tract the disease until brought into
contact with ticks. It Is patent to
everyone that many disease do not
hurt children; but often prove fatal to
grown people, as for example measles.
Now Texas fever seems to be an ex-
treme in this particular, since calf
may be covered with ticks, have a
light case Of fever, recover and acquire
immunity from 1t thereafter without
the owner even noticing it; while If
over a year old they suffer very much,
and in adult cattle the death rate Is
possibly rs to 80 per cent.
The real cause Of the disease Is q
very minute organism Protozoan)
which infest the red blood cells, and
destroys them. It is gotten only
through the bite Of the common cattle
tick (Boophills bovis)) No ticks, no
Texas fever, Is an axiom worth remem-
bering. Where ticks are common
every year and cattle are full Of 'em"
at all times, the calves become immune
and only an occasional case Of "mur-
rain" Is reported. If carefully studied
the above facts lead to two conclu-
sions: First. If cattle have grown up
free from ticks, they must be kept free
from them or have Texas fever. Sec
ond. If raised where ticks are common
they may be pastured anywhere, as
they are no longer subject to this fever.
Since the passage Of the stock law in
South Carolina, ticks have entirely dis
appeared in a great part Of the Pied
mont section; but are nearly always to
be found in feeding pens where cattle
are brought in from farms and turned
together. One COW with ticks may in
fest whole pasture with them. The
full ticks drop off, lay eggs, these
hatch seed-ticks which get on the 9TH
er cattle and the non-immunes soon
develop the dreaded Texas fever.
Anyone can readily recognize this
disease after seeing a few cases. A
common beginning Is to go down to
look after the herd in the evening and
find an animal missing. After a search
1t Is found in some obscure corner,
standing or lying in the shade, looks
droopy, ears Topped down, not chewing,
nose dry, high fever, quick pulse, rapid
breathing and back arched. Inspec-
tion then reveals, maybe, a few full
ticks about the flanks and udder; but
most Of them will be small. If urina-
tion Is noticed, the urine is seen to be
deeply tinged with blood color and may
be almost black. The animal may ap-
pear full and grunt from time to time.
AS the symptoms become more intense
staggering Is noticed, some going round
in circle. Then the legs seem beyond
control, the cow falls, groans, seems
to suffer great pain, often followed by
convulsions, believing and death in
great agony. II the QeaQ animal be
postmortemed, the LESSONS are easily
seen. The blood Is watery. the flesh
pale, and the fat on the intestines yell
lowish. The liver is congested and
instead Of being brown, is yellow, and
the gall bladder distended with a large
quantity of bile. The spleen (melt) is
much swollen, almost black and friable
(rotten.) The bladder is generally more
or less filled with urine almost as red
as blood.
In general the best remedy Is to
make war on the ticks; but this does
not apply unless there is a reasonable
hope Of getting rid Of them in the whole
community. About the most convent
ent way to kill them is to apply with q
paint brush thin coat of cotton seed
oil to the parts where the ticks can be
seen. A coat Of oil on a ticks back
kills him In short while. Hand pick
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