The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-07-02
Florida's Loss From Ticks.

Washington, D. c., June 3d.
Florida is the one State in the tick
infested area in which no systematic
effort has yet been made to eradicate
the pest. The entire State, covering
an area of 52,240 SCARE miles is af-
ficted with it and suffers an annual
loss which it is impossible to estimate
in dollars and cents.
Educational and demonstration
work has, However been undertaken
under the direction of the Federal in
spector in charge at Atlanta, Georgia,
and it is believed that a certain
amount of interest has been aroused
among farmers in this subject. 1t
has been estimated that the tick could
be eradicated in Florida in from six
to eight years if the state and the
various counties would provide ade-
quate appropriations and co-opera-
ton on the part of the local authori-
| ties with the Federal authorities could
be secured.
AS a purely financial proposition, it
has been shown that the increased
value of the hides of tick-free cattle
more than pays for the expense of
freeing territory. From the last fig
ures available, it appears that the
cost of the work has been about 80
cents per animal freed from quaran-
tine. AS the hide of the ticky COW
| is worth on an average $l.26 less than
that of the tick-free animal, there is
a profit here of 76 cents. Moreover,
much Of the money that has been
spent on educational campaigns has
not as yet borne fruit in the release
Of territory and it is only natural thai
future releases should come as the
result Of money that has already been
expended.
The greater value of the hide, how
ever. is only minor feature Of lie
situation. Tick-free cattle yield more
milk, produce more meat, keep in bet
ter general condition, bring a higher
price in the open market, and are han.
died with less inconvenience thar
ticky cattle. Moreover they can be
bred with profit to purebred bulls
The total of these various items
amounts to a saving which it is almost
impossible to express in terms Of
money. 1t may be said however
that ticks make all the difference be
tween profitable stock raising and un
profitable stock raising.
Some time ago the Department O
Agriculture sent to a number of rep
resentative stock breeding farmers
d series of questions on the effect o
tick eradication in their neighbor
hood. These replies show that, in tn,
opinion Of the men most vitality inter
ested, cattle gained in weight from l.
to % per cent, the average being
1914; the average milk production in
, creased about % per cent, or nearly
one-fourth of the total yield. TIL
quality of the cattle had improved
about one-fourth. Finally, the los
from Texas fever which at one tim,
amounted to over one-eighth of the to
tai number of cattle, had been total,
, stopped, and it was possible for tn,
first time to import pure-bred animal
for breeding purposes. One Louisi
&na farmer wrote that his herd o
cattle was worth double what it hat
been before the ticks were eradicated
: What systematic work can do in thu
eradication of ticks is shown by tn
experience of Mississippi. Thi
State took up the work in 1908. Tw,
years later in 1910, l ,4O7 square mile
of territory were released from quar-
antine, and subsequent releases in
creased this until at the end of 1911
it was 20,S34 square miles, or almos
, half of the State. At the end of 1914
there were 1852 dipping watts in op
: Grafton. If the people of the Stat
, continue to show the same interes
in the matter that they have done il
the past, it is predicted that in w
or three years cattle ticks in Missis
sippi should be unknown.