The De Soto County news. [volume] (Arcadia, Fla.) 1898-1924, 1916-09-21
soUTH CAN BE FREED
FROM TICKS IN 3 YEARS.

eauso of the spirit of cooperation
among the people of the south in
tbe work of graduating the tick
which transmits Texas fever to
cattle. this destructive and ex.
nensiye pest should be eliminate.
cd from the territory of the
United States within the next
Ave wears, according to the field
inspection division of the bureau
of animal industry of the United
States department Of agricul.
ture. Enthusiasm in the fight
against the pest is running par.
ticularly high in several Of the
eleven tick infested southern
states. and these commonwealth
will free their territory within
the next year or so, the division
predicts. In eight of the states,
il is believed, the work will be
completed within four years.
An outline of conditions in the
tick infested territory, recently
prepared, shows that Virginia,
only four counties i'm which are
now under quarantine, can he
made tick free by one years ac.
five work. and, that because Of
the interest now being shown
there the quarantine is likely to
be removed from the last bit Of
previously tick-infcsted territory
in the state early in 1918. South
Carolina, which is pushing the
eradication work steadily for
ward. should achieve freedom
from ticks the same year. BY the
end Of 1917, it is calculated,
there should be but fifteen coun.
ties in Alabama remaining in
quarantine, and these, at the rate
the state has been working.
should he cleaned up the follow.
ing year.
For Mississippi probably the
most accurate prediction can BE-
made. The legislature of that
state recently enacted n law re.
CURING that all counties now in
the 0unrantined area shall cradi
cate the tick during 1917. The
people showed their interest in
this step Immediately, and near.
" all the infested counties al.
ready have appropriated funds
for the building Of dipping wits
in preparation for the statewide
eradication cHmUaign. state
wide tick eradication legislation
also has been enacted in Louis
lana. As n rcsult.'this state cnn
expect to he free Of fever ticks
by the end OF 1919.
Oklahoma, it is believed, will
clear its territory of fever ticks
within the next three years. In
Arkansas, dipping watts are in
course of construction in practi'
cally every county of the state,
and soon will be in general use.
1t is believed that tick eradica.
ton will be completed in this
state by the end of 1920. The
same year, it is predicted, will
see North Carolina cleared Of
ticks.
Georgia, Florida and Texas
have the hardest task before
them in the work of tick eradica.
ton, ana probably will require
most of the five year period to
bring about the removal Of quar-
antinc from their territory Tex.
as has more counties quarantined
because of the presence of the
fever tick than any other state,
and has almost rs many square
miles in the quarantiucd areas
as all the other states combined.
1t is probable, therefore, that the
work of eradication there will
take more time, and that unless
there is unforeseen activity, Tex.
as will be the last of the states to
claim a white area on the map.
The finishing of the work Of Grad
ication in the other states, how.
ever, will release federal agents
engaged in the work, and will
make possible the concentration
of effort on Texas toward the
end Of the i've year period. 1t is
believed, therefore, that by the
close of 1921 this concerted work
If properly supported by local
cooperation, will result in tick
eradication from Texas and the
freeing, therefore, of all United
statesc territory from the pest.