The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-02-10
8OOPHllUS ANNULA1US
(1icks-Texas Fever)
Address Read Before the State Farm
ers' Convention by Or. e. p.
Guerrant

Ladies and Gentlemen-It is not my
stronghold to deliver a lecture or read
q paper, before such a gathering as is
assembled here today. and especially
before such notable speakers as We
have here at this meeting. 1 consider
the time more or less wasted that
take up. go will cut my little talk as
short as possible.
For the discussion of the subject
that I have taken. l am indebted to
our friend here DR.. Carey. and the
college stations of Georgia. South
what little experience 1 have had.
Doubtless many of you know that the
most vital problem before the South
today is the tick, or Texas fever,
sometimes called bloody murian.
splenic fever, etc. The South suffers
an annual loss of something like 40
or 80 millions Of dollars from this
cause: loss in flesh, from it's butchers.
or market cattle and from losses of
Imported stock from above the quar-
antine line. Also Southern cattle sell
from one-fourth to one-half cent less
on the northern markets, which means
quite a neat sum annually, which the
Southern producer is entitled to.
Now why is all this? First and last,
it u the tick, about the size Of a bean,
brownish in color, and very harmless
In its appearance. This tick leads
somewhat a peculiar life. but an &C
tive one.
Before touching upon tick or Texas
fever. will give a short history OF
the tick itself. This tick fever has
been existing for centuries in parts OF
Europe. Asia and Africa, and was in
I Produced into the United States by
the Spaniards through Mexico and
Florida And may say that it's called
Texas fever from the fact that the
early settlers OF Texas, trailed OF
: shipped their market cattle North and
Slong these lines, outbreaks occurred
: OF the fever, and it was commonly
called Texas fever.
s. The large fat female tick wher
completely filled with blood taker
/. from it's host drops to the ground
crAwls under leaves. or litter, or ma
pure heaps and in a few days begins
to lay eggs. In six to fifteen days she
4 may lay from 1900 to $500 eggs. As
the tick lays eggs she gradually
shrinks in size Cor withers Up> and
(. dies in a few days after laying; hel
hast eggs The eggs are small, oval
brown and waxy. They may hatcf
In IL to 80 days or may live over
winter and hatch in the foil wing
spring. From these eggs are Matched
q small tick, which are legged
lively. brown larvel ticks, and only z
g little larger than chicken mites. They
crawl upon grass blades, weeds. shrubs
ssor any object near their locality. and
there await the coming Of their hos
: (coB or other animals).
q The seed ticks cannot eat grass OIL
weeds and if they are not successful
in finding a cow, mule or horse. they
soon starve to death: In summer from
one to four months. and one to sever
Z in winter. They cannot withstand al
excess OF cold weather. When they
arqsuccessful in finding a host. they
sol crawl up to the soft and thir
parts Of the skin, and begin to sucl
blood from the host: this is the time
they inoculate the cattle with the mi
= cro-parasite, of tick or Texas fever
In about six days the seed tick shed!