The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-13
UNCLE SAM'S FIGHT ON TICKS


The following article on the Cattle Tick and the Governments Work of Eradication comes from Mir. 4. H. Pettibone. who Is connected with the Bureau of Animal Industry, United ~ Uncle sam sam ys. e. TSe Ticks.
 Editor The Advertiser:
 Because all honest minded men al- ways want to know the exact truth or not, and because the United States government is now taking a strong hand in tick eradication I am led to write this open letter to The Advertise CT to Inform It's thousands of readers throughout Alabama, and indeed all over the South, as to what Uncle Sam is now doing. and proposing to do. There should be very greatly concerned. when we come to know that 1t is now clearly demonstrated that the yearly loss and sheer waste. caused along by. tho cattle than the enormous sum of one hundred million dollars, and that the share of Alaba}na alone of this immense loss. T At i first b blush this | statement G seems a thing incredable. But when we come to realize that by the United States census there are in all the South about 20,O00,ooo head of horned cattle. and that Alabama owns about 100000 head, and that loss from all causes, by death. by permanent Injury, by the immense shrinkage In the price of Southern cattle. which Is cold fact in all markets. amounts to not less than an average loss of only S5 per head. 1t Is easily seen that the total loss for the entire South is fully one hundred Is fully ten. millions. annually!
 Now, when any pest or evil becomes utterly intoierable. two things must the true and real cause must be seen and understood and next. a sure and safe remedy must be found and rtgidly applied. Well the Bureau of Animal In- to take the lead In the work of eradi- eating the contagion, has exercised this wisdom. And accordingly, after severe and painstaking investigation Che following results are now held to be demonstrated. First the sole and certain cause of the splenetic or Texas fever in domestic cattle Is a microscopy ic germ which IS alone transmitted by Margoropus Annulatus; and. second, an absolute remedy has been found. and proven by thousands of trials-viz- greeas grease such as bacon grease, cotton seed oil. rancid butter. or crude petrol- eum--Just any oily grease--will always kill, in few minutes. any and all ticks on live cattle which 1t Is made to real ly reach and cover. But 1t Is certain that all the ticks which 1t does not reach and cover 1t won't harm in the AtdHL1
 But kill all the ticks on live cattle
 But quarantine. and why? Because, and attention Is asked right here, no eggS--from i.56O to s.OO0-ever lays those eggs on the hair or on the body of steer. No. never. But when she Is ready to lay them the female tick all animals long hair and falls oif on the ground. And there, on the grass or herbage. she proceeds to lay these sgss: ana tnsse m usaalty .nh nt rom ,, ID to small but hungry seed ticks. And since | many such females will so fall ofr, in short time that pasture will be filled l with swarms and colonies of young and hungry seed ticks; and when a fresh cow or steer comes browsing along or perehance lies down, then these hungry seed ticks will crawl upon its body by and then bite and bore, and suck blood and breed again. And meantime will surely bite into that creature the
 Here MT. Editor. Is set down In fewest and plalnest words the genesis, the very and clear method of tick re- production. and the only cause of the been spread and scattered from the Rio Grande all through the South to the Potomac by the careless shipment of ticky cattle. and by permitting such way! Now quarantine is the exact op. poslte of all thIs. And by strict quar- antlne bv shutting them up until they are duly disinfected. the further spread And even now. by rigidly preventing ail cattle from going on infected pas lures for the time for all the eggs to hatch out. and q few months more. all those young ticks must and will starve to Heath. And, those pastures will be clear and dlslnfected, And here. In the strict. and rigid use of grease and ouarantine is the whole plan and scheme of better tick eradication It is as easlbie as 1t Is plain.
 Now. congress, by an unanimous vote. has recently passed an appropFia-