Las Vegas optic., 1913-08-14
TICKS in HIDES
CAUSE LOSS Of
LARGE SUMS
PEST CAN BE ERADicATED AT
SMALL COST AND FARMERS
SAVED MUCH DAMAGE

Washington, Aug. 14.--According to
figures gathered by one Of the veter-
mary inspectors Of the Bureau Of AMI
NAL industry, the presence Of the tick
among the cattle of the south not only
lessons the value Of the cattle on the
hoof but causes the gradings Of hides
that have been infested with ticks as
No. 4 quality.
The same hide, if free from tick
marks, would grade No 2. The differ
ence in price between these two grades
of hides is cents per pound. AS the
hide Of southern steers weighs about
AZ pounds, the presence Of the tick in
the hide causes a loss in the hide
alone more than $1.26 per hide Gov
eminent specialists point out that the
cost of tick eradication is only about
so cents per head so that if the coun-
ties make systematic campaign to
eradicate the tick, the increase in val
ue of the hide alone would pay for
the cost of tick eradication and leave
the farmer a net profit of about 76
cents per hide
The hide situation is becoming rath-
er serious. A prominent tanner in
Pennsylvania states
For the class Of leather we make
we prefer southern hides for chrome
on account of the close texture and
fine grain, but on account Of the ticks
we have had to practically stop pur-
chasing southern hides
This is particularly significant as
the demand for chrome leather is in
creasing SO that the normal demand
for southern hides will still be further
decreased
A large percentage OF the chrome
leather now produced is finished with
the grain left on SO that all imper-
fections and tick marks on the grain
side show very plainly. In the old
days when all the leather for uppers
was made from bark-tanned stock, all
leather was buffed and the grain was
removed For this leather tanners
could use cheap hides that were Gov
cred with imperfections and tick
marks and make fairly good leather.
The situation today, as it has been ex-
planned, is very different as the public
is demanding more and more grained
feathers for which large proportions Of
southern hides will not be available
until the tick is eESlicated.
Tennessee will probably be the fiat
state to be entirely free from quaran-
tine for ticks 1t already has eradicar-
ed the tick in 81 counties and all that
now remains under quarantine are
parts of Marion, Wayne, Hardeman
McNairy and Decatur counties and all
of Hardin, Henderson and Chester
counties. It is be hoped that by Sep
tember l these counties will be free
from ticks and the entire state out Of
quarantine.
According to the specialists Of the
department of agriculture, it has cost
less than so cents per head to eradi-
cate the tick in Tennessee and the
cattle owners as a result have gained
not less than $500 per head, thus add
ing to the value Of their stock. There
are some 100000 cattle in the coun-
ties already free from ticks and the
benefit to these owners has
been not less than s3,5OO,OO0. The
cost Of tick eradication has been only
S250,O0O so that the Investment paid
for itself nearly IA times over in
very short time. This does not in
clude the additional profits which
come from the fact that now that the
tick is eradieated more cattle can be
raised on each farm and that the cul-
tiyated fields are made more product
i've by the increase OF the amc,nt OF
fertilizer now available.