Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-12-19
Immunized Bulls Best for the South

From the Breeders Gazette.
Quite recently there has been some cor
respondence in your journal relative to
the advisability OF organizing sales in the
south of northern animals, principally
bulls, of the beef breeds for the conven-
fence of southern buyers who heretofore
have had some difficulty in knowing just
where TO go and of whom to secure what
they might desire in this class Of stock.
The idea seems rather good one and
could in time be made to subserve the
interests both of the raiser and seller on
the one hand and the buyer on the other.
Our southern people are beginning to open
their eyes to the Importance of beef rails
ing in Dixie, and although numbers of
pure bred and high grade animals are
annually coming south it will vet be a
considerable length OF time before our
southern country can raise sufficient i'm
mune animals to supply it's own demand,
and importations of susceptible cattle
from above the fever line" will have to
continue so long as the demand cannot be
supplied by immune "southerners." So
long then, as this condition exists and
for the convenience of our buyers we be-
lieve that sales such as those above men,
toned would considerably aid them in
knowing where to go and in making their
selections of the kind of stock wanted.
OF course. II such sales were organized
for the disposal in the south of suscepd-
BILE bulls they would have to be extremely
carefully handled to prevent them becom-
ing tick-infested when coming into the
southern cattle fever belt.
If it were possible for northern animals
(for breeding purposes)) to be artiffcially
immunized against the fever before ex-
posing them at such sales, 1t would be
more OF an incentive for southern buy
ers to purchase, rather than taking the
risk of having to immunize the cattle af-
ter buying although that now is hardly
worth considering, when the operation is
properly carried out. This, of course,
would necessitate southern immune and
probably ticky cattle being kept in nom
immune districts as supply animals, which
might not be relished either by the fed
eral authorities or by northern cattle own
ers themselves. Still it might be feasible
for the experiment stations of those states
in which beef producing stock raising is
an important industry to make arrange
ments to immuniZe those animals that are
intended for the southern trade. The ex-
pertinent station of Missouri has done
great deal of work along this line. which
seems to have been much appreciated and
there may be other stations north of the
federal quarantine line that have been
similarly engaged.
There is of course the question of price,
which comes in. 1t is more than probable
that more money would be asked for inn
munized bulls than for susceptible ones,
where the buyer assumed the risk of i'm
munization. / do not see, however that
this should now make much difference in
price, as the results for the past two or
three years have shown that the risk is
practically nil. In Louisiana, Texas and
Mississippi the experiment stations have
immunized large numbers of susceptible
cattle imported from the north and west
and are continuing to do this work. the
operation is performed by competent vet
erinarians in these states; and besides
the graduates of our southern agricul-
tural colleges, where immuniZation has
been practiced, are perfectly qualified to
undertake the operation in the various
sections in which they live. So that there
is no difficulty whatever in having cattle
immunized after being brought south.
Yet, the idea of risk attached to bringing
northern animals into the south clings
very tenaciously to the minds of many
and perhaps Is the means of preventing
notwithstanding the successful results OBJ
tanned by several Of the southern sta
lions. All things considered, l am in
clined to the opinion that importations
would be stimulated and the beef cattle
| industry in the south more encouraged
and facilitated If sales could be organized
at southern points for the disposal Of
beef bulls from above the fever line"
and more especially If such animals were
| immunized previous to their coming south
w. HDALRYMPLE, NJ. r. c. " S.
Louisiana Experiment Station.