The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-03-05
Ions. Coffee was once an important
Cuban product ; but little is now pro-
duced, that little coming from the pro-
vinces of Santiago and Santa Clara.
THE TEXAS FEVER PEST.
Breeders In this State Losing
More than Ten Thousand Dol
lars Annually from this Disease.

and ticks have disappeared in many
parts of the State, Texas fever has be-
quite a common disease. 1t is
estimated that the breeders of the
State arc now losing annually more
than $4,000 from this disease, and
1T has been shown to be so important
that the South Carolina experiment
station has undertaken the work of
combating it's ravages by a process of
ir occulation ~(vaccination.)
In the fal of 1900 twelve calves
were bought by the veterinary divi-
sion, of which DIR. G.. e. Nesom is
chief and DIR. Shealey assistant. All
of them were subject to the disease, as
they had never carried ticks. They
were i~nnoculated with blood from a
cow that was immune, and in q few
days they developed a light case of the
disease from which they soon recover
ed. During the summer of 1891 they
were kept in a tick-infested pasture
and none Of them contracted the fatal
form of the disease.
But more important work is now be-
ing done in the same way on Northern
cattle. Every II who has purchased
cattle from the North and exposed
them to the Southern cattle tick knows
that most of them die the first year of
l" acclimation fever" another name
for Texas fever.
Sixteen head of beef cattle were
brought down from Indianapolis IN
November, 1901, and have been in
nocula cd. They are doing well so
| far md yyhnp tho un,E 10 fn;ohol q,
the spring they will be tested in tick
infested pastures. 1t is hoped they
will prove immune. If this method
proves entirely successful it will es-
tablish the fact that a great obstacle
in the way of Introducing better cat
tie into this State has been removed.
In this connection DIR. G.. Il. Nesom
has sent out the following circular let
ter to farmers and cattle raisers in
South Carolina:
This circular letter is sent you in
the hope that you will assist the vote
rinarian of the experiment station in
securing some information regarding
the cattle disease known as lTexas
fever.
During the past few years the dis
ease has been prevalent in many Sec
tions of the State, but since the passage
of the present stock law it has become
very common, especially in the up
country and in the pastures and pens
of stock buyers and feeders.
Texas fever Is known by q number
of names, but the most important of
these are splenic fever, splenetic fever,
acclimatiOn fever, Southern cattle
| fnunr ftnD fnxvAr roI xyDNn, Il~~I-
murrain, bloody urine, distemper,
mountain distcmper and many local
names.
The symptoms are readily recog-
nized by any one who has seen cattle
suffering from this fever. At fret the
animals become stupid and leave the
herd for some secluded and shady part
of the pasture. They appear llstless
and dloop, as if all energy had for
saken them, the ears drop, the nose is
more or less dry, rumination Chewing
cud) suspended, the urine light to dark
red in color, and constipation marked,
only small quantities of very dark, dry
dung being voided. They are highly
fevered, the temperature running from
lob TO 107 degrees Il. In milk COWS
the flow of milk is almost suspended.
All of the symptoms increase in sever
ity until the animal becomes almost or
quite unconscious, walks round in a
circle, groans and seems to suffer real
pain. Then commissions set in, the
animal falls, unconscious and snoring
In the intervals between commissions,
until death ensues. Calves rarely de-
velop the sever symptoms or die from
the disease, but in cattle over a year
old the death rate is possibly so to 80
per cent, increasing as the age in
creases.
Post mortem examination Ct the
carcass shows the flesh to be almost
bloodless and'pale in color, the spleen
(melt) black and easily torn, the blad-
der filed with bloody urine, the liver
and intestines yellowish and the gall
bladder filled with bile.
In all cases an examination of the
skin about the thighs, fapks, neck and
other parts of the body reveals the
presence of ticks, which always 90
with Texas fever. The cause of the
disease is a small animal organism
p%rotozoan), which seems at all
exist in the body Of the times to
tick. When the tick inserts its bill
through the hide these little germs
gain access to the blood of the cow and
there develop, producing a case of
Texas fever In ten to twenty DAYS.
Death results from the destruction of
the red blood cells, the refuse going to
the spleen and The coloring matter to
the bladder.
Cattle that have had ticks on them
wheh they were calves are immune to
the disease, and will not have it again. |
Cattle that have not mad ticks on them
until a year old, will develop the dis
as as they get the ticks.
The experiment station officials de-
sire to assist the stockmen of the State
in getting the disease under control
md prevent severe losses In future.
experiments are now IN
progress, and it is hoped that immun-
ty TO 1T may be produced by artificial
means.
You are requested to answer the
questions on the enclosed postal card
md return as Don as possible to the
veterinarian, who wishes TO thank you
n advance for your cooperation in the
Yours trniv.
G. e. NEsoM, Veterinarian.
Clemson College, s. q. y