The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1908-07-02
Tick Eradication Resumed.

The following press bulletin, issued
June 9Th, has been furnished US for pub
LEGATION by the Bureau of Animal Indus
try of the Department of Agriculture:
The Bureau of Animal Industry Of the
United States Department of Agricult-
ure is resuming active operations for the
eradication of the cattle ticks which
prevail in the southern part of the
country and trapsmit the contagion OF
Texas fever of cattle. It's men are being
sent into the field and preparations are
being made to push the work of exter-
mination vigorously during the warm
weather, when the ticks are most active.
Since this work was begun, two years
ago, an area of about $1,000 square
miles, or almost the size of Georgia, has
been freed from the ticks. AS a result
the quarantine on Southern cattle has
been either modified or entirely removed
from this area. Last year work was done
to a greater or less extent in the States
VI llS ma, A>ol III Cdl oiiAeA, eooutA CdI-
DINA, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee,
Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Louis
lana, Oklahoma, Texas and California,
and it is proposed this year to continue
in 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 in 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 co-opera-
ton between the Federal Government
and the State and local authorities.
Congress has appropriated S250,OOO for
the year beginning July 1st, and it is
expected that the States and counties
where the work is carried on will dupli-
cate this sum. The Committee on APP
preparations of the House of Represen-
tatives 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 transferring
the cattle from pasture to pasture at
suitable intervals, dipping, spraying and
hand dressing the cattle with Oil and oil
emulsion. In sections where there are
large herds and large ranches dipping
on a large scale is practiced, either
alone or in connection with pasture rota
ton, while in other sections, where the
cattle on some farms frequently consist
only of COW or an OK team, hand dres-
sing with Oil is found to be the only
practicable method.
The damage caused by the ticks and
the benefits to follow from their eradi-
cation are not generally appreciated. 1t
is estimated that the Texas-fever tick is
responsible for about $4,000, 900 of loss
annually to the people Of the infected
country, and that it also lowers the
assets of the South by an additional
S23,2 900, making the enormous ag-
gregate of S63, 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 success
is possible, though a number OF years
will be required for the completion Of
the undertaking. Much depends upon
the cattle owners, who can either haster
or retard progress according as they CO.
operate or refuse to assist in the work.
Literature giving full information al
to the ticks, the disease which they
transmit and methods for their eradica-
ton has been issued by the Department
of Agriculture and will be supplied free
OF charge on application to the Chief O.
the Bureau OF Animal Industry, Wash.
ington, D. c.