Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1910-12-16
DIPPING CATTLE IN SOUTH ALA.
RAMA

was uipphS udy III Dailai
county. The farmers OF south Sumte,
dipped" yesterday and those of Ma
rengo will dip" today. The farmer.
all along the black belt region ar,
"dipping' twice month. The fad has
spread to the cities. Merchants, bank
ers, business men, clerks and shor
people have caught the fad, and are
dipping. Those that have no call &c
dip themselves go out and see that II is
well done.
A dipping" vat has been establish
ed In the city Of Selma for the accom-.
mouation OF the people at the expense
OF the town, and county. dipping
mud for the free use of the people is
prepared in big tank in the city of
Selma for the use of other watts that
have been built all over the county for
the people. 1t is a great movement.
1t marks an epoch in the history of AL
pama. 1t is no senseless fad. Perhaps
you do not understand. It is a sim.
pie proposition. 1t has been described
In this correspondence before. but per.
haps the item escaped you.
AS every cattle man of experience
KNOWS, 1t is useless to undertake to
raise cattle In Alabama as long as the
cattle tick is allowed to exist. A gov
eminent quarantine against all Ala
Dama cattle prohibits the raising If
cattle Tor commercial purposes. Cattle
shipped from Alabama are discounted
from 20 to 30 per cent. by reason of
the existence of the cattle or TEXAS
fever tick. 1t means an annual loss to
ALABAMA OF not less than $4,000 900.
and Alabama has not been classed as a
cattle raising state at that When It is
considered that this might become one
Oh the greatest cattle raising states in
the Union but for the tick. the loss is
lncalculable. The Western cattle raiser
would come to Alabama to engage in
the business If it were not for this
pesky parasite, which, really. as
strange as 1t may seem, has been fos.
tered by the people of the state.
No wise man will engage extensively
In business when his neighbor is al
lowed or persists in breeding ticks on
the adjoining farm. Though the one
intelligent farmer may keep his cattle
Tree of ticks, the ticks on his neigh.
bors' cattle makes the general quaran.
tine effective and he loses in the sale
of his cattle. ts
A rev years ago the agricultural de-
partment at Washington sent a mum.
Ger OF cattle tick experts into Ala
bama. They begun campaign of edu-
cation, but found rough sailing. The
people could not be brought to see so
much harm in the little tick that thew
mad been used to seeing all their lives.
Ihey resented the interference of
book farmers from the government
office. If they had ticky COWS. it was
,heir business, and Washington had no
light to interfere. To make eradica-
Ion effective, the county had to en-
'orce the stock law-that is. require
every man to keep his cattle under
ence the year round This aroused
rigorous opposition in most of the
and the county officials.
lfraid of their political future, sided
With the people, who in more than one
Instance held monster mass-meetings
0 threaten the county commissioners
they dared to interfere with their
personal rights"
But the more intelligent farmers of
-A-A /
ne state began by degrees to listen
Q the experts. They soon aroused ;
themselves to the vital Importance of s
ne problem and began to study the !
natter. The result was that they soon t
ecame enthusiastic tick eradicators. I
ne movement was infectious. County !
commissioners changed their positions I
nd began to enforce the laws neces- a
airy to make eradication effective. I
here are still some people in all the i
ounties that are skeptical and stub I
orn, but they are forced to follow the n
lies and are being benefited against a
lelr choice. Large watts are provided s
almost every community where the p
eople have adopted the plans of the
,vernment. The cattle of the commu.
ty are driven through these watts
led with water and small percent y
re OF the arsenic. The cattle are .
eansed of all impurities and the tick r
killed. The cattle are really ben q
tied by the arsenic dip instead Of in o.
red, as some of the skeptics believe h
ould be the result. .,
The dipping is done twice month, G,
I'd dipping day in the black belt is a n,
'liday. 1t is one of the most inter- d,
ting sights in the state. 1t is esti- q,
ated that by September Of next year X
ose counties that have adopted the ll
ethod will be free from the pest and al
g quarantine will be raised. The Sc
ethod is not expensive and most of pl
counties are bearing the expense, in
ough many Of the Yates are being ty
lit by public and private subscrip- n,
n. Every enterprising cattle raiser tn
the state has his own vat on his ia
m and gives its free use to his kr
oil ira