The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1909-12-18
(For The Sea Coast Echo.)
CATTLE TICKS.

domestic cattle is virulent and costly
nuisance goes without saying. And be-
cause the United States Congress has
only recently passed an appropriation
for this year of s25O,Oo0, to assist the
people to stamp out this nuisance, and
will probably pass an appropriation of
S4O0, 900 for next year, it is evident that
general awakening will come to the
nation as to the full extent of the evil.
And since what the people want to
know is the simple truth, will not The
Sea Coast Echo allow me some space
wherein I may set forth the real cause,
the true cost, and the effective remedy
| for this pernieious evil ?
| THE CAUSE.
| About the true cause there Is now no
room for dispute. The sole cause is a
microscopic germ which is alone trans
mitted by that peculiar tick, a cattle
parasite, and the very rattle snake of
the entire tick tribe, knowa to science
as MARGARoPUs ANNULATUs. And
these pernicious and pestilence-beari
ticks have alone been spread and scat
tered all over, and all through, the
South, from Mexico to Maryland, across
eleven States, by the careless handling
and shipment of tick infected cattle,
and especially by suffering the same to
run at large, and in no other way in the
world! Such is the stern verdict of
clear and exact science.
THE COST.
The cost, the loss, the sheer tax which
must be paid yearly. is something ap-
palhng. The Hon. James Wilson, our
really great Secretary Of Agriculture,
after most careful examination, esti-
mates the yearly loss and cost through
the Texas fever in all the South at not
less than $500 PER CAPITA for the 2O,-
0Q0, 900 head Of horned cattle now owned
between the Potomac and the Rio
Grande. And this rises into the enor-
nous sum of st0O,0O0,0OO!
But how can this be possible Well,
a great number Of cattle do each year
lie down and die OF the fever. A still
greater number which do not really die
kdo become utterly worthless as an effect
of the poison. And the great number
OF cattle which suffer great deteriora-
ton of stock, which is fast reducing Cha
Southern herds into a race Of n.nts ona
worthless scrubs. must be clearly cor !
'ldered. And then the great Ines: :.
milk and butter, which is REDUCING our
milk COWS IN character, both II, ty1al,tv
ana quantity, is immense in the aoeoro
gate. FOR 1t involves hundreds of tho,,r
aaas OF mich COWS, and no COW sick
WITH Texas fever can give milk fit far
human use. 1t often kills. In Kan,
lucky 1t Is crime to sell such milk
But there is one cause OF great j.
"nlch even the dullest must mss
'i4iS % tAe Snr'- oompTe-
ale price OF al .5out+ ,kaoe Of the
- o"' ..ern-bred cattle
'exas Ieve~
~ & to the prevalence OF
All Southern bred cattle
-Ader preiudice-are under suspi-
Ion and under the ban in all the great
markets which fix the price for all cat
tie. They are only received into great
placarded cattle pens, and can only be
sold for immediate slaughter. And
this cold fact does Immediately slaugh-
ter the price OF all cattle involved. TIL e
full loss always falls On the farmer. But
how great is this loss which fixes the
price of all cattle covered by drastic
federal quarantine law? Well, tn e ex-
perienee of Tennessee farmers tells the
whole story. In Tennessee the work Of
tick eradication is now far advance d {.
In the 96 counties only about IL are yet
tick-infected. Yet the price of cattl 9
in these counties is, now and to-day ,
from cents to 21a cents per pound live
weight. While In the great mass of
the other counties the price for just
such cattle is from cents to 61s cents
per pound, live weight. And so the loss
on poor scrub which will only weigh
500 pounds is fully SIS. If it were a
1900 pound steer it would be $40. And
now add together all the kinds of losses,
and the Secretary's estimate of loss of
! So on each head is at once seen to be
reasonable and true. But the aggre-
gate on all southern bred cattle is an
enormous one. And no state suffers
more in proportion than Mississippi.
THE REMEDY.
But is there any certain and sure
remedy? Yes, indeed. And it can be
stated in five simple words, viz: Oily
grease and local quarantine. Yes, any
oily grease whatever will surely kill,
and quickly, TOO, any and all ticks on
cow, calf, or steer, to which it is fully
and honestly applied. And local quar-
antine will kill all ticks or tick-infected
pastures. BY the use OF these means
! IN the past two years fully 1000 square
smiles Of Southern uck-Inlected terri
satory have been utterly cleared of the
s4pestilence and taken out of quarantine
Ii And now the Agricultural Depart
ment has taken a hand. That a mos
asstrenuous effort will be made by Secre-
'stary Wilson TO aid the Southern people,
lIwno desire aio, Is too we'll known to b
"