The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1907-08-29
THE TEXAS CATTLE FEVER
The Cause, The Cure, The Law-By
Hon. A. II. PettibOne.

Mr.. Editor:
Sir-I am going to ask, by your
courtesy, space in your columns where
in | may talk to your readers on
topic of vital interest to all the citizens
of your county, and indeed to all the
people of Tennessee. I refer to the
Texas cattle fever-and to fever ticks
which solely and alone convey, and
transmit the contagion. A few years
ago this pest was unknown in our
state.
When it first became known it was
a mere bagatelle. But it has silently
spread from county to comfy, increas-
ing in virulence with the quantity of
the ticks until now thirty-one counties
out OF ninety-six are now infected, and
the annual loss, from almost nothing,
has grown to the enormous sum of
$4,000, 900, annually! While the aggre.
gate yearly loss of all the Southern
states is not less than $50, 900, 900!
1t is called the Texas Fever. But it
did not originate in Texas. 1t came
into Texas with the long horned Span
ish cattle from Mexico. 1t came into
Mexico with the migration of cattle
from Old Spain. 1t is hard to make
people understand that it is alone con-
veyed by that peculiar tick known to
science as boophilus annulatus or the
cow-loving tick, and that this tick is a
new conner. The old settlers wood
ticks, ear ticks, castor bean ticks, lone
star ticks, nit ticks and chicken ticks,
which have always been known in Ten
nessee, are not contagion carriers.
But just as most snakes are harmless,
yet there is the copperhead whose bite
is deadly. And the fever tick is the
copperhead of the tick tribes. And
the state generally has taken the alarm.
Ii the loss is even now $4,000, 900,
yearly, what will it be when a few
more years have passed when all the
counties shall be badly infected?
"But, "says some incredulous reader,
show can the yearly loss to the people
of Tennessee be $4,OOO,OOO?"
Well, there are at least 1000, 900
head of horned cattle in Ten nessee, and
q loss OF 81 per head would be $4, 600,
600. Now very great number of cat
tie lie down and die of the disease.
Many more are stunted and rendered
worthless, and each of these would, il
spared, be worth many times two dol.
lars. And then the great loss in milk
and butter, and meat in quantity, to
say nothing Of quality. For how eau
an animal whose veins are full of poi.
son give milk, or pUrest butter, or meat
fit for human food? But the great loss
is in the shrinkage in sale price
of Tennessee cattle marketed. This
reaches all the cattle of the state
whether tick infected or not. And
whether our farmers know it or not
For example: In November last, the
writer was in McNairy and Chester
counties. Both good cattle counties
by nature, but both badly tick in
tested. he made careful inquiry as tC
the prices Of beef cattle and learned
that the best price was 1 to u cents
per pound for cattle on hoof, but going
direct to Obion county he found tha
cattle were readily selling at 81 to I
cents per pound on hoof. And 80 (
steer, which in McNairy and Chester
would, if it weighed 1000 pounds, liv,
weight, bring only $40 to $15, sold il
Obion for from $35 to $40. Now why
this vast difference OF $25 on single
steer? Because Obion is free from
ticks and above the quarantine line
while McNairy and Chester are below
the line and badly tick infested. Thi
is the only reasonl And more, becaus,
Tennessee is known to be tick in
tested state, all its cattle are under th,
ban, and under suspicion. The esti
mate of loss of So on each head i
below the real truth and real loss, bu
at 80 per head is "a, 1000, 600, yearly.
THE CAUSE
The real, sole, only cause OF this con
tagion is microscopic germ which i
alone transmitted by that peculis