The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-09-17
THE COSTLY
CATTLE TICK

Fine quality cuts of beef have in
creased In cost to the consumer about
81 per cent during the last few
months. The price for beef on the
hoof has also been increased to a con-
siderable extent for the grade of cat
tie which will supply some of that
kind of meat.
But Florida tick-infested steers are
not drawing much premium as they
do not carry the quality of meat re-
quired for this special trade. 1t is
true that every beef carcass has a
section of tenderloin and porter
house steak, but the small size and
poor quality of meat is the three or
four year old tick-infested animal
does not command premium on the
cutting block. The bulk of Florida
steers class as Gamers and cutters at
the packing houses.
Recently large number of Flor
ida steer were sold on the st. Louis
market, a few of the heaviest ami
mails, averaging $50 pounds bringing
$40 per hundred weight A lot of
them sold as low as $4.70 per hundred
weight.
On the same market several hun
dred Texas and Oklohoma steers
averaging from 1,O25 to 1,275 pounds
went over the scales at $7.35 to $3.50
per hundred pounds, while load of
corn belt tick-free yearling steers
averaging 922 pounds sold for $40
per hundred weight.
Ticks Rotary Development
Florida cattle owners have a lot of
native piney woods and grade cows
on the ranges which can be used as
the basis for better grade herds in the
future if the cattle ticks are eradi-
Gated so that pure bred beef type
bulls can be brought in from above
the. quarantine line to breed up the
quality.
w. T. Ward, senior animal husband
man, animal husbandry, division, Blu.
reau of Animal Industry, who has
studied the beef production problem
of the Southern states for number
of years says:
"The native southern cattle are
small in size, variable in color, US.
ually poor in milking qualities, slow
of growth, and poor in quality from
the standpoint of beef production
This may be due to a number of caus.
es, very prominent among which
stands the cattle ticks.
These animals could not grow nor.
mally while young nor develop wher
Older while they were infected with
ticks, which not only decreased the
vitality of the animals by the drair
upon the blood supply, but weakened
and stunted them by transmitting the
protocol of Texas fever.
Scrub cattle were, therefore, ac
cepted, not because they were wanted
hut because the cattle tick, frequent
ly combined with poor treatment, i'm
mature breeding under range condi
tons, and often inbreeding for gener.
ations, gave scrubs as a result"
Improvement of the Cattle.
However the use of purebred bee1
bulls upon these herds of scrub COWS
especially when the herd has beer
kept free of ticks, has resulted in sucl
an Improvement in the calves, both a.
to size and quality, that the old no
ton that good cattle could not b.
raised in the South is rapidly beins
dispelIed.
The more progressive farmers il
sections where the cattle tick has beer
erat jcated have purchased good bull.
tc use in grading up their herds. Tn,
result has been wonderful High
grade cows, producing deep, broad
blociy calves that mature into 800 IL
900 pound steers at two years old
have now replaced the small, chea,
scrubs that were formerly on tn,
farm.
Scrub calves that were formerl,
worth from 81 to 81 at II months O
age are supplanted by the grade bee
calves that weigh 450 to 600 pounds
at year and sell for SIS to $50
head.
Such grade calves have been mar
keted for several years by the Blu
reau of Animal Industry in the Ala
bama cattle-feeding experiments a
prices ranging from $25 to $50
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