Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1912-04-03
Address Delivered by DR.. Fahey
on Last Friday on Tick Eradi-
cation.

Every cattle breeder is familiar
with the fact that the South, not
withstanding it's great variety of
food and its splendid supply of wa
ter, is now and always has been
handicapped by we'll known dis
ease Texas Fever"
Texas Fever is an infectious
blood disease of cattle, characterz-
ed by rise of temperature, hemo-
globinuria, destruction of the red
blood corpuscles and the presence
in the blood of a protogoan, the
piroplasma bigeninum. The pro-
tozoa are primitive animals, they
are in fact, the simplest known
form of animal life, and larger
than bacteria they multiply in the
blood and attack the red blood
cells and destroy them, and the col
oring matter of the blood is excre-
ted by the. kidneys and causes the
red color of the urine which gives
this disease the name red water
Death occurs in from ten per
cent of the chronic form to ninety
per cent of the acute form.
The losses by death of cattle from
tick fever in the South amount TO
about $685. 600 per annum. 1t is
estimated the shrinkage of milk
production for ticky dairy cows is
one quart a day per animal. Reck-
oning that there are eight hundred
and seventy-fve thousand such COWS
below the quarantine line and that
there are three hundred milking
days in the year for each cow, this
would represent at three cents a
quart, loss of seven million eight
hundred and seventy-fve thousand
dollars in twelve months.
South Carolina is strictly farm
ing section. You are interested in
the production of the most valuable
crop and cattle feed in the world.
You are countenancing the shipping
of the greater per cent of this feed
to other states and nations. all to
the detriment of tie live stock in
dustry and up-building of South
Carolina.
In other states which practice
cattle feeding the farm shows lit
tie diminution of fertility. In
Minnesota but l per cent, in Penn
sylyania 8 per cent in New York
4 per cent. These figures show it
is time for an awakening for better
methods of cultivating the soil, for
the farmer must live on the land
and how Re lives depends upon how
he treats the soil, for the industrial
salvation of this country depends
upon the agricultural resources, and
the profits of agriculture depends
upon the intelligent cultivation OF
the soil.
The small value frequently real
lied from the use of barn yard ma
nure arises from the fact that it is
not properly saved or handled and
the manure has lost greater part
of its plant food. Barn yard ma
nure is perfectly balanced fertllt-
zer and do not know of any that
will last as long or be as valuable,
for you can readily see the effects
of it when it is put on the land for
years. 1t sis not like commercial
fertilizer, all available the first year.
1t also possesses an indirect value
as soil stimulant, due to its pow
er, as it ferments and decays in con-
tact with the soil to liberate from
the soil plant food that would not
otherwise become available so quick
ly, making the soil more porous
and spongy, thus increasing the
power of the soil to absorb and re-
tain moisture.
One of the great benefits that
would follow the eradication of the
tick would be great cattle indus
try in this state, and all our scrub
cattle replaced by the pure-bred
animals when their food will go to
make beef and milk instead of fat
tening cattle-ticks and when the
fertility of the soil will be kept up
by live stock, without buying large
quantities of expensive fertilizers.
This map of the United States
shows the region infested with the
cattle ticks and cattle can only be
shipped into northern states from
this area as quarantined cattle for
immediate slaughter. Quarantined
cattle has been the Identification
brand placed upon the Southern
farmers cattle, because of the cattle
tick. How long will we tolerate it
- x>1o,, an o,,r ,oonlyathooly RI tho