Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1913-04-11
TICK ERADICATION FOR GREENE COUNTY.


For the Greene County Herald
That the tick fever in domestic cat
tie is the present great bane to
Southern Agriculture is plain and
demonstrated fact, vet it still re-
mains question among many, will
tick eradication by whole counties
really aDd>tru'y pay?" stoutly af-
firm it will, and in this open letter
to the Greene County Herald shall
undertake to prove it. But first let
us get clear idea of the cost of the
pest and nuisance.
By the careful statistics of the u.
is. Department of Agriculture it is
estimated and clearly established
that the annual cost OF the tick nui-
sance to the entire southland is not
less than $75, 600. 900! And the care
full statisticians of the Central oil
Georgia Railroad place the loss, cost
and sheer, useless waste from the
two states of Georgia and Alabama
at not less yearly than $1,000, 000-
with corresponding loss to the
state of Mississippi!
These are certainly great and fear
ful losses. and they would be incredi-
BILE, if they were not SO fully attest
ed. But facts are facts. And the
facts can not be gainsayed by any
amount of mere incredulity. What
then is to be done? Shall the peo-
| pie sit down in sheer and utter de-
spair, and wait for the fever ticks to
die out? But they won't die out.
No. They have come to stay until
they are fully, and utterly eradicated
and stamped out. This can be done,
fifty times as cheaply as to keep the
vermln ticks. 1t must be done and
sooner or later it will be done all ov-
err the Sunny South.
But now will it truly pay? Yes,
and the proof is not only ample. but
it IS plain-and cannot be contro-
verted
Tt is now about six years since this
Bureau undertook, IN dead earnest,
the work of tick eradication. It be-
gan the work in inexperlence, and
with very much to learn. 1t began it
in distrust, and ridicule, and angry
opposition. But it has pursued it in
good report, and in evil report. It
has meantime invented and introduc-
ed the dipping watts, and arsenical
dip. And now after six years it sees
fully 100, 900 square miles, or over
100, 900, 900 acres of southern soil and
territory utterly cleared OF cattle
ticks, and taken out of a drastic but
needed u. S. quarantine law. This
is an area fully three times the size
of the state of Mississippi. It was
done at an expense to Uncle Sam of
about one million of round dollars,
besides the lesser sums contributed
by the several benefited states and
counties. Now did this expenditure
pay?
Well, the facts are that on this
great area there lived the owners OF
fully 4, 40, 900 head of horned cattle
And by being freed from the fever
engenderlng cattle ticks these very
cattle not only increased in strength
and health but by putting on flesh,
by growth in size and weight. and
by their vastly better appearance,
and sale demand actually increased
in sale value from $58. 119, 800 to $780,
085, 780 clear gain and profit to the
cattle owners -and all from the cat
tie alone. This was their pay and
reward. Or more than Royal
Kings ransom to the cattle owners
alone. We do not have to argue with
these cattle owners to prove to them
that tick eradication pays because
they know it.
But 1t must be remem bered that
those LOO, 900. 900 acres were vastly
Benefited and enhanced in value as
much as three to five dollars per acre.
But this would b an 100, 900. 900
acres an enhancement OF from $780,
900, 900 to over $500, 900, 000l But
does this seem absurd to you? Well,
let US bs moderate and modest, and
away within the truth, and say that
the increase in the value of the land
was only one dollar per acre. Still,
Mr.. Editor an increase of only one
dollar per acre would be for 100, 0O0,-
600 acres exactly 500, 900, 000l Or
more than dozen Kings ransoms.
The question then Does tick Grad
lcation pay" becomes not only posi-
BILE but simply absurd Yes. tick
eradication not only p9ys- but it
pays enormously. And it will pay
in like manner even in Greene Coun-
ty--a and in the whole state of Missis-
sippi.
For now what does Greene County.
and the whole state of Mississippi
want to insure to the people vigor-
GUS and a permanent prosperity? Is
1t not that the lands may be made in
a real sale value to bring their true
and adequate price and real value
and then that those acres be made to
produce their utmost yield.
Now the price of land in Greene
County and the whole state of Mis-