The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1906-05-11

4
even exist. suffer less damag,
j Nevertheless considerable damag
is experienced in a great man
instances, especially in th
country, for extra feed require
and in the shrinkage in the flo,
of milk in tick infestation. 1t
believed that an estimate of 5 pc
cent. of the total value of tn
dairy cattle is not overchargin,
the cattle tick, which means al
annual loss of nearly $4,000, 900
1.-THE total loss, then. of South
ern cattle on account of the ticl
under these heads would b,
SIS, ZOO, 900.
'.But there is also chargcahlt
to the tick a great number OF
.leaths, either from acute Tcxa.
fever or great depletion, or in.
induced tuberculosis, or kidney
diseases, which deaths are often
attributed to some other cause
or are not understood at all. In
the writer's opinion there is a
further loss to be recorded
against the infection of the tick
in the reduction of fecundity in
the female cattle, and also in the
greater proneness of tick infested
cattle to diseases or abnormal
conditions of the reproductive
organs, bringing about abortion.
This loss is often severely felt,
especially in herds of full-blooi
animals.
"Then there is also chargeable
to the tick the greater expense of
providing pasturage for the cat
tie, or extra feed during heavy
infestation, for dips and other
preventive measures, extra care
and supervision. 1t is deemed a
conservative estimate to- place
the annual loss under these three
heads at 10 per cent. of the actual
value of all our cattle, or nearly
Is 1-2 million dollars. L en-
there is another very material
charge to be entered against the
tick. With tick infestation at
babyhood, the only time when
the animal may with a degree of
safety pass the ordeal, there is
very little chance to ever bring
cattle to early maturity. The
stunting they usually receive
obliges US to carry them until
they are three or four years old.
A baby beef industry with the
cattle tick infesting our cattle is
not possible. Therefore instead.
of being able, like the farmers
above the quarantine line. to
cattle when they are "a to
30 months old, we have To carry
ours two years longer. TIL at
means two years of extra feed
and care and capital tied up un-
necessarily by adverse conditions.
1t costs easily IS to $40 per year
to provide aud care for a COW.
and to keep our twelve million
beef cattle over one year would
mean an extra outlay of $50, 000.-
300 yearly. not mentioning the
interest of the dead capital of
some $I25. 900, 600.
.Then there is the loss caused
by the special transportation and
yard facilities that have to be
provided, which will all finally
come out of the pockets of the
Southern cattle owners. There
is the loss caused by interference
with free and unmolested traffic,
and the lower price obtained at
The markets on account of the
n sary regulations. Then
there il also the cost of tue IN
spection service and the nlainte-
nance of the quarantine. It is
very easily seen that the annual
loss, direct and indirect. sus-
tanned by the Southern states
today amounts yearly to the
sum of $3.50, 100000.
.sLet Us look at this subject in
still another light. The average
value of Southern cattle is 81