Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1911-10-27
KILLING CATTLE TICK
Host of Insect Is Animals of 3D.
vine Species.
Where Large Number of Cattle Are
Maintained Spraying Is Best Meth
do of Destroying Injurious
Little Parasite.
(By A. NJ. soULE, Georgia Agricultural
College,

CBy A. NJ. soULE, Georgia Agricultural
College.)
1t is unnecessary to detail to the
thoughtful farmer the material advan-
tages which the south offers for live
stock production in the matter of a
desirable climate, an abundance of
suitable feed and a well watered
country. The average man from the
north and west on his initial visit to
the south is astonished to find SO many
advantages for the industry evidenced
on every hand and to witness so lit
tie progress in it's development. The
cause is not far to seek. Large num-
bers of the choicest animals brought
into the United States in early times
came directly to the south, but they all
suffered a rapid and almost complete
determination Finally it was definite
ly determined that the trouble was
due to the infestation of the animals
by what is now known as cattle tick.
Nearly all of the states are fighting
the tick, and Georgia has already
cleaned up some of her infested coun-
ties, and it is believed others will be
released from quarantine in the next
few years.
What the destruction of the tick
means to the live stock industry few
can picture 1t is costing our state
in the neighborhood of $5,000,000 an
nually. We cannot build up a cattle
business until the tick is completely
vanquished The tick is the real cause
of bloody murain, Texas fever and red
water, names locally given to the
trouble resulting from infestation of
cattle by this parasite. The investiga-
tons made relative to the relation of
the tick to the destruction of cattle
have been SO thorough, complete and
exhaustive as to leave no ground for
further doubt.
When the tick attacks cattle germs
enter the blood and increase in num-
Der until they destroy the greater
part of the red corpuscles. This low
ers the vitality and restricts the
growth of the animal, and in the case
of milk COWS, the flow of milk is ma
.terially reduced Milk represents the
surplus energy and vitality of the
COW, and any agency which reduces
these lessons the ability to give
milk. The loss to the dairy industry
on this account is very great, and has
done more to hold it in check than any
thing else. When ticks attack fat
tening animals, they lengthen the time
required for development and for ma
turity, and hence increase the cost of
production. The cattle tick prevents
sffectually the bringing in of good pure
bred animals for the improvement of
our native stock, for an animal which
Is brought into section where ticks
are found, and has not had the fever,
will suffer an attack, and the chances
are it will die. At least this has been
the history of importations up to the
present time. Our native animals are
of a low grade, giving but compar-
atively small yield of milk, maturing
slowly, and not producing the quantity
and quality of meat desirable in ami
mails of the beef-type. These char
acters can only be changed through
the use of pure-bred sires, and they
cannot be freely imported until the
tick is destroyed. At present time
animals from the tick country are put
in quarantine pens, where they COM
mand lower prices than animals from
the north, because of their poor quail
ity. This often amounts to as much
as three dollars head, or anywhere
from $50 to $50 a car
The host of the tick is the COW or