The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-06-15
TICK ERADICATION RESUMED

The Bureau of Animal Inustry of
the United States Department or Ag-
riculture Is resuming active operations
for the eradication of the cattle ticks
which prevail in the southern part of
the country and transmit the cUnta-
gion of Texas fever of cattle. It's men
are being sent into the field and prep
arations are being made to push the
work Of determination vigorously dur
ing the warm weather, when the
ticks are most active.
Since this work was begun, two
years ago, an area o. about 56,OUo
square miles, Or almost the size Of
the State Of Georgia, has been freed
from the ticks. AS a result the quar-
antine on Southern cattle has been
either modified or entirely removed
from this area. Last year work was
done to greater or less extent in
the states of Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama,
Tennessee. Kentucky, Missouri, Ar
kansas. Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas,
and California. and it is proposed this
year to continue I'm the same states
with the addition of small portion
OF Mississippi. Most of the work has
been and will continue to be done in
sections contiguous to the quarantine
line, the object being to push the line
farther south from year to year; but
encouragement is given to local work
Iii any part of the quarantined dis
trict in the assurance that when any
considerable area is rendered tick free
it will be released from quarantine.
The work is being done by coopera-
ton between the Federal Government
and the state and local authorities.
Congress has appropriated $250,000 for
the year beginning July I, and it is
expected that the states and counties
where the work is carried on will dii-
plicate this sum. The committee on
appropriations of the House Of Rep
resentatives expressed itself very
strongly to the effect that the states
should bear a reasonable share of
the cost and that the Federal work
should be mainly confined to- states
where cooperation is received
Various methods for DISCRIMINATING
the ticks are used including transfer
ring the cattle from pasture 20 pas
ture at suitable intervals, and dipping,
spraying, and hand dressing the cat
tie with oil and oil emulsion. In sec
tons where there are large herds and
large ranches dipping on a large scale
is practiced, either alone or in connec-,
ton kwith pasture rotation, while in
other sections, where the cattle on
some farms frequently consist only of
a COW or an OK team, hand dressing
with oil is found to be the only prac-
ticable method.
The damage caused by the ticks and
the benefits to follow from their ex-
termination are not generally appre-
ciated. 1t is estimated that the Texas
fever tick is responsible for about
$40,OO0,000 Of loss annually to the
people of the infected country, and
that it also lowers the assets of the
South by an additional $23,250,0 900,
making the enormous aggregate of
$63,250,000. To wipe out this heavy
loss is the object of the work now
under way, and the results already ac-
complished leave no doubt that sue
cess is possible, though a number of
years will be required for the compile
ton of the undertaking. Much de-
ponds upon the cattle owners, who
can either hasten or retard progress
according as they cooperate or refuse
to assist in the work.
Literature giving full information as
to the ticks, the disease which they
transmit, and methods for their
eradication has been issued by the
Department of Agriculture and will
be supplied free of charge on appli-
cation to the Chief of the Bureau of
Animal Industry, Washington, D. G..