The Huttig news., 1915-09-25
PUSHING TIE TICK WAR.
Loss to Southern Farmers From This Pest Explained In Government Circular
 Eradication Simple and Cheap.

the German Empire has already been freed from the cattle tick, but twice as much still remains to be cleaned. To hasten the work by stimulating interest in the cam paign of eradication, the depart ment has recently issued a large illustrated circular. supplied on re- quest, which shows in dollars and cents the loss the pest causes ev- cry farmer in the infested territory.
 It costs the South, it is estima- ted, $5O,OOO,OOO year to board the tick.
 The results, as set forth in the new circular, leave no room for ar gument The tick must go, and go at once if the South is to enjoy anything like it's legitimate share of prosperity.
 Ticky cattle are worth anywhere from $5 to $1O head less than tick-free cattle, but because it is impossible to introduce ure-bred stock into tick infested territory of the purpose of grading up the herds, the difference between the average value of cattle in tick States and the free States is much greater than this. On January l , 1915, for example, the average price of beef cattle over 2 years old in tick-infested States was $25. 90. For the remainder of the country it was $48 4Zz.
 Tick infested cattle not only weigh less-and therefore are worth less-than tiek-free cattle, but they bring less per pound. In Alabama and Mississippi on Janu- cry l the average price was 4 cents. In Connecticut it was 64. and in no free State was it as low as 5 cents. Ticky cattle must be handled in quarantine pens and slaughtered immediately. They cannot be transshipped to better markets or sold for feeders. In consequence they receive what the local packing house cares to offer, which in practice is anywhere from half cent pound upward less than the price for uninfested stock.
 Another reason for the lower price of ticky cattle is the damage to the hide. The tick lives by sucking the blood from his victim. To do this he must puncture the hide, and every puncture sends down the market price, because such a hide can not be used for making fine grades of leather. From 50 cents to SIPS is the av- 
 craze loss in value of tick-bitten hides.
 Dairy cattle suffer no less than beef stock, for the tick gets the blood that should go to the making of milk. Government tests show that light infestation of ticks re- duces the milk flow l8 per cent; heavy one as much as AZ per cent. In the new circular this loss is translated into dollars and cents for a herd of 20 COWS. which under normal conditions should each give 8 quarts of milk day. With milk at cents per quart light infesta- tion costs the owner of such herd $2oO in the course of 200 days milking. A heavy infestation costs him $6zO. In county where systematic tick eradication work is under way he could dip his herd, free them from ticks, and save this loss for a total expenditure that would certainly be no more than $1O.
 This is not mere theory; it has been proved in actual practice. One dairyman's experience is typi- cal. He owned AZ ticky cows, gave them one dipping and week afterwards found that he had l6.6 per cent more milk. The daily revenue from the herd was in creased $3.5O.
 As long as the tick is permitted to levy such toll, it is obvious