The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-11-02
DOES TICK ERADICATION PAY?
South Carolinians Testify to Value of
Eradication Work.

Washington, D. c., Oct. 31.-The
cattle tick has been driven out of
294,014 square miles, considerably
more than one-third of the area it
once infested. Are the people in this
area glad or sorry that they took the
trouble to get rid of the pest? In or
der to answer this question the Unit
ed States department of agriculture
sent out, year or two ago, circu-
lar letter to stockmen and farmers
who had helped 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 aver
age value per head of cattle, in the
weight of cattle, and in the grade or
quality of cattle; approximately what
losses there had been from Texas
fever before tick eradication; wheth-
er 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 re-
ceived from Alabama, Arkansas, Cali
fornia, Georgia, Mississippi, North
Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
From these replies it appears that
the average value of cattle in the
tickfree portions of the eleven
States increased after tick eradica-
ton 1915 a head. In Texas the in
crease was placed at s13.79, in South
Carolina 1925, and in Alabama at
only s7.7O. The increase in weight
ranged from II per cent. in Texas to
% per cent. in Mississippi, the aver
age for the entire tick-free territory
being 1914 per cent. In other
words, the cattle are considered to be
one-ffth heavier in the counties from
which the tick had been eradicated.
The quality for the eleven States was
placed at one-fourth better than when
under quarantine conditions.
The estimate of losses before tick
eradication from Texas fever ranged
from 9 per cent. in Georgia to 10
per cent. in Mississippi and North
Carolina. The average for the ele-
ven States was placed at 13 per cent.
These figures, of course, do not take
into account the depreciation in value
due to stunted growth, discrimina-
ton in markets, shrinkage in milk
production, etc., but refer only to ac-
tual deaths. The increase in milk
production following tick eradication
was placed at % per cent. per head
for all the States, the greatest in
crease being 25 per cent. in North
Carolina. In Mississippi and Oklaho-
ma. however, the increase was est-
mated at "a per cent.
In replying to the questions in the
circular letter already mentioned,
number of the farmers and stockmen
took the opportunity to express in
other ways their personal opinions OF
the results of tick eradication.
One Alabama man wrote from
Sumter county: There is as much
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, an
other man wrote: 1--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.
LII IGSdlU W lLS CASSI upOA IiS
dairy industry Putnam county,
Georgia, man said: Tick eradica-
tion and the dairy industry have pro-
gressed hand in hand here in Put
nam county. 1t is generally conced-
ed<hat our creamery (the only sue
cessful cooperative one in the State)
is successful because of tick eradi-
cation
From Mississippi \ stockman
wrote: "To show you an instance of
what tick eradication has done for
US; on yesterday 1 sold to feeder
from Kentucky a carload of feeders
(Angus grades) for Sc per hundred
weight, weighed up on my own farm.
This is the highest priced load of
this class of cattle that have ever
known to be sold in the State.' If