The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-05-11

ture are hopeful that in the next two
or three years the cattle tick problem
IN Norh Carolina Will have ceased to
exist. The area Of these infacted
counties is more than 10000 square
miles. The area from which the tick
has been driven since 1906 IS q ,364
square miles.
h infested area extends all along
hte coast and for from 80 to 100 miles
inland. This area forms an impene-
ira bic barrier a2ainst the shipment of
live cattle from any part of the State
through a North Carolina port. The
western section of the State is en-
tirely free from the ticks. Johnston
is the extreme western boundary Of
the infested area. Johnston can now
drive its cattle across the line into
Sampson county. but it can't drive
them into Wax or Wayne or into
any other County which adjoinS it.
So Johnston will soon be isolated as
far as shipping cattle is concerned
and must come to the dipping vat.
State and Nation Cooperating.
The national and State Departments
Of Agriculture nave CO-Operated in
this tick eradication work for the last
nine years against the prejudice and
the O~utSpOken opposition of a great
many people. Yet the number of
people who have desired the elimi-
nation Of the tick has been greater
lI1dH Lie HUMBER WHO ulOl l-d1lu lIlc
counties which insisted on keeping
their cattle ticks soon found that
counties all around them had hasten
Il ed to get out from under the quaran-
tine. Then the tick counties were left
high and dry with no place to go.
They couldn't drive q milk COW into
a pasture across the county line with
out violating the law. Consequently,
tick eradication has moved in a wide
sweep across the State until now the
ticks are hemmed in by an invisible
but effective wall on the west and
the wide atlantic on the east
+ Hobby of Secretary Houston.
4 This tick eradication business is 3
O hobby with Secretary Houston. Every
I time he Wearies of the ordinary care:
( of life he goes over to the tick eradi
f cation department and gathers freSl
n energy. The idea has taken hold O
: him so much that he regards the cat
tie tick as the greatest curse of tn
South. That is why he handed east
o ern North Carolina such a jolt in New
# Bern when his audience was sittin;
o back preparing to hear themSelve
h eulOgiZed. New Bern sat up stunne'
the next instant. Secretary HOustOl
t wouldn't admire the ElySian fields i
il they harbOred a single cattle tick.
If North Carolina would spend fv
IS minutes some day computing roughl
IF the cost of the cattle tick it wOul
thank Secretary Houston to jolt tn
whole State every day. Some ide
D may be cleaned from these facts: TIL
It value per head of cattle in Mort
n Carolina increased $3.50 from 100
at to 1914, the years Of tick eradiCatiO
lWork, in spite of the fact that nearl
half the State now has ticks and tn
eradicated area has spread Onl
gradually. Census statistics say ther
were about three quarters Of a mi
lion cattle on North Carolina farms
! 1910.
Work In California.
California went after the tick
little harder and the alu of its ca
tie increased SIS a head in the san
time. North Carolina cattle increa
ed one-ffth in weight, one-fourth
quality and considerably in pure-bre
number The increase in yield
milk from dairy cows in North Car
lima was 25 per cent, the largest i
crease in any one of the twelve stat
where compilations were made fro
careful inquiries.
A fair idea Of the amount Of tF
increase in value of North CARROLL
cattle which is due to tick cradle
ticn may be gained by comparing t
increases in North Carolina with the
of Florida and Louisiana, states viii
are tick infested throughout.
Florida the average farm value
dairy cattle increased from 1907
1913 IS a head, while "other cattl
increased $1.2o a head. In louisa
dairy cattle Increased IS q hea
while "other cattle. increased 81
head.
Gain To The State
{ Submit his data to the ten-ye
/ old who is leading his class in art
metic and ask him to find how mu
! the State of North Carolina has gal
ed by tick eradication work All
, him a few hundred thousand dolls
! leeway for error and compare
! answer with the cost of the work
Z clearing a little over half the St;
] of ticks. 1t cost the federal goVel
ment $139,50S, the State s4S,495 a
various counties s4,605. If he's
town boy he will be unable to see n
a few ticks can make that muCh Q