The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-09-16

! With Ticks.
while heavy infestation will cut
down the cows milk as much as AZ
per cent. Study the sums worked out
on the basis of 20 cows, which, IL the
cows were not infested with ticks,
would normally produce about eight
quarts day.
Lightly Infested With Ticks.
(Milk flow down IS P. CO.
Daily yield Value at &c
% al. in quarts per quart
20 tick-free cows ........ 160 S.9
20 lightly-ticked cows. 131 6.0S
Loss 70 for '1 Zoo days, days . =.
milking .............. $500 zSVU
Cost of dipping herd and freeing 1t
Profit per year from dipping. ........$2SO.Oo
Heavily Infested by Ticks.
tA1ilk flow down AZ P. c.,
Daily yield Value at &c
in quarts. per quart
20 tick-free cows ........16O SOD
20 heavily-ticked cows SO 3.S5
Loss for 200 days
milking .............13,4 400 5000
Cost OF dipping herd and freeing 1t
AAoIn TICKS IV'W
Profit per year from dipping. $3.50. $4,000
The tick, when sucking the blood
also suffers greatly through lack Of
ability to import pure-bred stock.
About so per cent of the cattle
brought in from the North, according
to the departments estimate. sue
cumb to Texas fever.
Ticks Take Toll From Hides.
The tick. when sucking the blood
Of cattle, lessons the value of the
| hide, reducing it from a No. quality
to that known as No. 4. The differ
ence in price between these two
| grades Of hide is three cents a pound.
AS the hide of southern steers weigh
about AZ pounds, the presence OF the
| tick in the hide causes loss In the
hide alone of more than $1.26 hide
1t has been shown that the cost OF
tick eradication is less than fifty cents
head, so that the increased value OF
the hide of the animals would pay the
cost of eliminating the tick, and leave
the farmer profit of about seventy
six cents, when considering the hide
alone.
These heavy annual losses of cattle
raisers in the infected district can be
entirely effaced, and at cost small
in proportion to the return; for, with
enthusiastic stockmen, satisfactory
state legislation, sufficient money and
| trained corps Of inspectors, the cat
tie tick may be exterminated, and ev-
cry dollar expended in this work will
be returned MANIFOLD during each
succeeding year. The United States
department Of agriculture bears part
of the cost of Kidding the country Of
ticks by sending, without expense to
the county where the work is tc be
conducted, its field men to supervise
the building of watts and the dipping
cattle at most is so cents head and
In some counties it has been estimat-
ed to cost the county and its citizens
not over 20 cents head.
The department of agriculture has
published a number of bulletins on
different aspects of the tick problem,
which will be sent on application.
Among these are Farmers Bulletins
No. 500. Eradication of the Cattle
Tick Necessary for Profitable Dairy
ing" No. $50, Texas or Tick Fever"
No. $50, Beef Production in the
South" No. 496, Methods of Exter-
minating the Texas Fever Tick" spe-
cial Circular, Effects of Tick-Eradi-
cation Upon the Cattle Industry of the
South" and circular on Progress
and Results of Cattle-Tick Eradica-
ton"
The accompanying picture shows
the emaciated condition of a steer In
tested with ticks This animal was
dipped in an arsenical bath on August
IL, to kill the ticks. At that time ne
weighed 100 pounds. He was contin-
ued on the same feed that he had re-
ceived before dipping, and on October
IL weighed LIS pounds. gain of SS5
pounds,
Dipping tick-infected cattle in the
arsenical bath is being done in many
PARTS of the South. The given Illus
tration shows one of the forms of dip
ping vats used. Five cents worth OF
arsenic per head Is all that is re-
CURED. The vat costs from $50 to
800. Once the vat is built, the cat.
tie can be dipped as often as needed.
The only costs are driving the cattle
to the vat and handling them In the
bath.