The Florida agriculturist., 1905-12-27

Until the last year, however, the De-
partment seems to have been quite
satisfied with the quarantine and its
enforcement, and has left for individ-
uals and states through their COM
missioners of agriculture and expert
ment stations to demonstrate the feas-
ibility of the radical plan of entire
eradication of ticks over large areas.
Within a year the United States De
partment has undertaken to enlarge
upon the work already done on the life
history of the cattle tick, and is now,
through its chronological bureau, and
in cooperation with Southern exper1-
ment stations, gathering data for
very comprehensive understanding OF
the tick in preparation for the held
work to follow.
The papers presented at the meeting
Adopted in Dealing with the Exter-
mination of the Cattle Tick" by J. R.
Mohler, Pathologist, Bureau of Ami
NAL Industry; "Practicability of Ex-
terminating the Cattle Tick in the
South" by TAFT Butler, State Veteri-
marian of North Carolina; Methods
of discriminating the Cattle Tick
Based on Its Life History and Hab-
it's" by c. c. Carey, State Veterinarian
of Alabama, together with a discussion
by H. A. Morgan, Director of the Ten
nessee Experiment Station, and by
Cooper Curtice, Animal Husbandman
of the Rhode Island Experiment Sta
ton What the movement means to
the South and to its agriculture can
not be told in few words. The cattle
ticks have been the chief means of
reducing or holding back the cattle
| industry of fourteen states and terri
tories to the present conditions there
| in. August Mayer of Shreveport, La,
! a cotton grower, who has tailed IN
| his cattle experiments after spending
thousands of dollars, has from his
study of cattle statistics of the South
estimated a loss of not less than three
| hundred millions of dollars annually
| w. R. Dodson, director of the Louis
lana Experiment Station, TAFT Butler,
and others believe that the Southern
agriculturists are advising diversified
crops and more cattle. If Northern
| man would appropriate the conditions,
| he must study them in the South close
at hand. The writer has long known
| of this handicap upon the Southern
cattle industry, and believes that the
| conditions are not Over-eSt1mated.
- The interests of the North in the
situation are more than would at first
appear For the United States govern
ment to maintain perpetual cattle
quarantine on a portion of its cattle,
when the reasons for the quarantine
may be economically removed, does
not seem just or reasonable; the more
especially when in the past it has ex-
terminated 'foot-and-m mouth" disease,
and contagious pleuro-pneumonia, and
is now stamping out sheep and cattle
scab. Texas fever, the name by which
the Northern cattle trade knows the
trouble, is a constant menace to the
Northern markets. 1t costs heavily
to maintain quarantine against it, and
lconstant guard to prevent its spreading
from the special pens set aside for
quarantine cattle. In spite of all pre-
cautions Northern cattle are at times
infected to the ruin of their owners.
The South is otherwise well adapted
to the raising of cattle, and a recogni-
ton of this has led to the former i'm
portation of host of Northern pure
breds, which have usually succumbed
to the tick before the first season is
over The eradication of the tick
means a home market for Northern
breeders Even now the recently dis
infected areas are stocking up with a
bettar Grade of cattle than ever before