The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1916-11-09
DOES TICK ERADICATION PAY7
Some Prominent South Caro-.
lfnians Claim That 1t Does.

area it once infested. Are the peo-
pie in this area glad or sorry that
they took the trouble to get rid OF
the pest? In order to answer this
question the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture sent out, a year
or two ago, a circular letter to
stockmen and farmers who had help
ed in the fight. In this letter these
men were asked TO state what had
been, in their opinion. the increase
in their county in the average value
per head of cattle; approximately
what losses there had been from
from Texas fever before tick eradi-
cation; whether cattle raising had
become more popular since the tick
had gone; what increase there had
been in pure-bred stock; and the
effect upon the dairy industry. To
these questions something over 1000
replies were received from Alabama.
Arkansas, California, Georgia, Miss
issippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas
and Virginia.
From these replies it appears that
the average value of cattle in the
tick-free portion of the eleven States
increased after tick eradication
50. .76 a head. In Texas the increase
was placed at s13.79; in South Caro-
lima 1925, and in Alabama at only
$40. The increase in weight rang
ed from eleven per cent in Texas to
twenty-three per cent in Mississippi,
the average for the entire tick-free
territory being 1914 per cent In
other words, the cattle are consid-
cred to be one-fifth heavier in the
counties from which the tick has
been eradicated. The quality for
the eleven States was placed at one
fourth better than when under quar-
antine conditions.
The estimate of losses before tick
eradication from Texas fever ranged
from nine per cent in Georgia to
fifteen per cent in Mississippi and
North Carolina. The average for
the eleven States was placed at
thirteen per cent. These figures, of
course, do not take into account the
depreciation in value due to stunted
growth, discrimination in markets.
shrinkage in milk production, etc,
but refer only to actual deaths. The
increase in milk production follow
ing tick eradication was placed at
twenty-three per cent per head for
all the States. the greatest increase
being twenty-five per cent in North
Carolina. In Mississippi and Okla
homa, however. the increase was
estimated at twenty-four per cent.
In replying to the questions in het
circular letter already mentioned,
number of the farmers and stock
men took the opportunity to express
in other ways their personal opin-
ions of the results of tick eradication.
One Alabama man wrote from
Sumter county: There is as muck
difference between ticks and no ticks
as there is between an up-to-date
business man and an old fogy. In
fact, if we had kept the ticks we
would have been knocked out in ten
years"
From Baxter county, Arkansas,
another man wrote: We consider
the eradication work has been worth
thousands of dollars to Baxter coun-
ty. As our county is not very good
for farming, we depend mostly on
our cattle for a living and we can't
raise cattle and fever ticks in the
same county with any success"
In regard to its effect upon the
dairy industry a Putnam county.
Georgia, man said: Tick eradica-
ton and the dairy industry have pro-
gressed hand in hand here in Put
nam county. 1t is generally con-
ceded that our creamery 1.-THE only