The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1917-11-24
T4E STATE CAN 81 MADE EN-
TiRELY TICk-FREE IN ONE
SEASON.
EVERY ONE MUST COOPERATE
Louisiana Is the Only State Using
the Twenty.one Day Dipping
Periods.

why 10 It necessary to dip cattle
every "a days during the season TO
get rid of the ticks7
Answer During the warm sesSoii
of the year, the average time fequir-
cd by the tick to develop, from the
email larval, or seed tick after al
taching to cattle, until the large 10
male tick natures and drops to the
ground to lay her egg, Is about 81
DAYS. But while % days may be the
average, many ticks mature carrier
than that time. Consequently 1t mas
been found that the 21-day dipping
neriods do not catch the earllef-ma-
turing ticks, which drop off and Keep
on making more ticks, thereby delay
ing the final results. On the other
hand, by dipping cattle every IA days,
all OF the ticks that become attached
to them in the intervals are killed,
because none Of them mature and
drop off before Il days.
How has this information been OBJ
talned?
Answer. It has been observed by
those engaged In the work Of tick
eradication that, towards the end OF
the season. under the 21-day method,
there are always d number OF cattle,
or herds, still remaining tick-infested.
While with 14-day dipping there may
be none, or only very few, with ticks
on them.
Then the dipping periods are based
upon the time required fer the ticks
to develop on the cattle and fall off?
Answer. Precisely SO. The adop.
ton Of the 14-day periods Is to DO
stroy all Of the ticks that have be-
come attached to the cattle in the in
tervals between clippings, without any
of them having dropped off.
How long, relatively, will it take to
clean a parish, or section, of ticks un-
der the f4,day and 2f-day dipping Pc
RODS?
Answer With the full co-opera
ton Of everyone interested, the ticks
may be cleaned up in one season I'M
der the 14-day periods, while under
the 21day periods 1t may take two
or three or more seasons, as has been
the case in a number Of parishes.
Do ticks have any effect on milk
production?
Answer. Federal experts have test
ed this question, and they report that
cattle which have been freed OF ticks
have given an increased milk pro
duction of from IS to A per cent. de-
pending on how grossly they had pre-
viously been infested. II we should
strike an average of 25 per cent, 1t
would mean that the dairyman who
continued to feed ticks on his COWS
was throwing away an equivalent Of
one bucketful of milk out of every
four which his cows would produce
under tiCk-freedom.
What effect do the ticks have. If
any, on the development OF beer
cattle?
Answer. They prevent develop
ment, because a great deal of the
blood which the feed makes, and that
should be used to nourish the animal
is appropriated by the ticks, and the
benefit Of the feed Is, therefore, lost
to the animal.
Are all the other states dipping
their cattle every IL days?
Answer. Yes. Some of them
adopted the 14-day periods at the
beginning of the work, and others
that had commenced with the 81 days
have since abandoned the longer In
tervals for the 14-day method. as the
results have been found so much
more satisfactory.
1t is believed, then, that 1t Is pos.
sIb'e to eradicate the cattle ticks
from Parsh, or even the state, If all
the cattle are dipped In the standard
arsenical solution every IA days for
one season?
Answer Yes. It is being done In
other states, and parts Of this state
at the present time. However, to be
able to accomplish 1t satisfactorily II
Will require cooperation on the part
Of everyone concerned and interested
In the work
When once the state 10 tIok-fres
will there be any danger Of re-infss.
tatIon7
Answer. None. The federal gov.
eminent and the state will see that
rigid quarantine Is maintained against
the Introduction of any tick-infested
cattle. That is provided FOR now In
Act No, Is Of the General Assembly
OF 1915, and by federal regulation.
What is condition Of tick-freedom
expected to mean to the state?
Answer. It will mean that Louis-
lana will be In position to pro
gress agriculturally, and otherwise
as the more progressive states have
done that have never suffered from
the benighting effects Of federal
guarantees, on account Of Texas, or
tick fever, and the presence of cattle
ticks, which is surely worth conscien.
tious1y working for for one season, o.
$e