Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-02-05
TEXAS FEVER

Wy ''o' ~ Nhllr, VI. d., u, Y, s.,
state Live stock Inspcytorl
Texas Fever, the well known and cas-.
ily recognized fatal Sothcm cattle
scourgc, probably first invaded the
United States from Mexico over cent.
ury ago. The infection gradually spread
northward from the Mexican border AN.
I'll about forty or fifty year, ago, when
It made is first appearance in Tonnes
see, and finally spread over 81 counties
IN this State. For many years its caus.
ative agent wa, unknown.
1t was in the year 1887 that Cooper
Curtis was the first to suggest the tick
as the carrier of the ufcstation of thi,
disease, but it remained for smith and
klIbornc IN 1889 10 demonstrate that
the tick did really transmit tine disease.
VI course for many year, no one knew
or even suspected thar it was possible
to eradicate this di,ea,c.producing tick.
1t was in the year 1894 that Cooper Cur.
It's demonstrated the possibility OF ex.
terminating the fever tick.
About this time the first bulletins on
lnis subject were gotten out by Mohler.
DalrympIc and Morgan. To Mycr OF
Louisiana belongs the credit Tor pre-.
senting the first bulletin in calling atten.
ton TO the economic Importance OF Grad
icating the tick. He placed tine annual
losses to the Southern States al 800.
100000. The early field work was done
by Butler y. C., Cary, Ala, and Din.
widdie, Ark. They demonstrated that
tick eradication over large areas of in
ieeted territory was practical. They
demonstrated beyond shadow of a
doubt that ticks could be cradicatei
from any prescribed territory in a short
time at reasonable cost.
In 1906 committee from the Com.
missioners Of Agriculture of the South.
ern States prevailed upon Congress to
make the first Federal appropriation to
begin the work. This appropriation
amounted TO $50. 800 DR.. r. p. Stcddon
and W. p. Fllenbcrgcr did the pioneer
work in Tennessee, but to Drs. J. A
Herman and r. T. Jackson the credit is
largely due for the excellent result Of
the handicap Of quarantine restrictions,
far exceeded 100000.
This work OF tick eradication has
gradually progressed until now he have
succeeded in freeing Al counties of ticks
and those A counties have been released
from quarantine. Only seven counties
and parts of counties remain in quaran-
tine. These great results have been ac.
compnshed in only a few years and at
very small expense to the state coun-
ties and federal government, when we
pause to consider the manifold advant-
ages to the cattle raising industry which
have accrued therefrom.
However, the work is not yet com
pleted, and the annual losses, even at
the present time, as result of the ex-
istence of this disease, will probably ex-
coed 100000. Now is the opportune
time to complete work in all of these
seven tick-infested counties if the cattle
raisers in these counties could only be
made to realize it,
The tick can be destroyed now with
less expense than later. The stockmen
of these remaining quarantined counties
can now profit by the experience of
those who have already successfully
conducted the work in the counties
which have been freed of ticks and
placed above the quarantine line. They
have at hand the goth century method,
the ideal way of killing ticks, viz, the
concrete dipping vat an arsencal solu-
ton, which are the boon to, and saliva
ton of, the cattle raising industry in
the Southern States.
The dipping vat and arsenical solution
are cheap and efficient as well as prac-
tical, and are in my opinion the only
weapons which will be used in the fut-
we in tick eradication work.
From present indications the ticks
will be entirely cradicated and the whole
State of Tennessee released from quar-
antinc one year from this date, in which
event Tennessee will enjoy the distnn-
ton of being the first State to entirely
exterminate the Southern cattle tick