The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-05-30
WAR ON TICK.
Director Lewis Tells of His Arranse
mcnts. ....

L
Columbia, May 26.--+'rhe pestifer.
Gus cattle tick, that eminent blood.
sucker and host Of the Texas feve,
protozoan, is being made to carol its
swan song In many counties in South
Carolina. Under the direction of tho
bureau of animal industry of the de-
partment of agriculture and of Glenn.
son college 40 men have taken the
field against the pest. which is the
greatest drawback to successful cat.
tie raising in the infested area of
South Carolina and Of the other
States.
Walter K. Lewis. inspector in
charge Of the cooperative tick eradi.
cation work Of the department and of
Clemson college in South Carolina,
who passed through Columbia yester-
day. told Of the opening of the cam
paign against the cattle tick in q
large part Of the area still infested by
the insect. Working slowly since 1907
on account Of lack of funds, Clemson
college eradicated the cattle tick in
II counties N South Carolina and the
department Of agriultcure raised the
federal quarantine on cattle shipped
from this territory. When Inspector
Lewis and his field men finish mas
sacreing the tick in the remaining 30
counties OF the State. the federal
guarantees will be lifted from these.
The work will take two or three wears.
the length 4 time depending upon
the cooperation the cattle raisers give
the tick eradicators sent out by the
government and the college. Every
cattle raiser In the State knows that
1t will mean q tremendous gain for
the industry to free the native cat
tie from the debilitating effects of
the tick and to allow importation OF
good stock without danger of death
from Texas ssver. to improve inbred
native here's.
DR.. Lewis started actual field work
April 1. He now has 81 men out after
the scalp Of the cattle ticks. BY June
1 he expects to have 60 men In the
field. all trained experts who know
their business. The field force under
DIR. Lewis II now working In Richland,
Newberry. Fa, field. Chesterfield, Ker-
shaw. Marion. Dillon, Charleston,
Florence and Lee counties. This week
he will put tick eradicators on the Job
In Sumter and Lancaster counties. BY
July the field force under DR.. Lewis
will invade Aiken. Edgeheld. saluda,
Lexington. Orangeburg and Calhoun
counties on the trail Of the tick.
In the remaining counties Of the
State. in most Of which the open
range laws are effective. DR.. Lewis is
planning with the funds in hand to
make preliminary survey to find out
the extent Of infestation by the tick
and take q census of the number Of
cattle raisers and the number of heads
In their heards. The advance men in
the open range counties will encour-
age the building Of dipping vats. DR..
Lewis now has over 100 applications
for the building Of dipping vats in
open range coantiss and II greatly
encouraged by this show of interest
on the part Of cattle raisers in the
low country.
Under new regulations effective
May the department of agriculture
will allow cattle from tick infested
territory to be shipped at all -easons
OF the year provided they are dipped
under supervision of experts. ~Ac-
cordinsiy. DR.. Lewis has arranged for
the building Of q big vat at Royster
yards near Columbia, In which all cat
tie will be dipped before they start
on interstate Journeys to distant mar
kets from South Carolina ranges. Al
demonstration will be given soon at
the interstate vat at Royster.
DR.. Lewis has four field men and
q veterinarian at work In Richland
county now. So far In the parts of
the county which they have visited
they have found the infestation light.
Nevertheless cattle dipping vats will
be located in several parts of tho
county and war against the tick
waged to the knife in Richland as in
all other counties Of the State.
IDinnvvOn<v DOpcnvolo