The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1917-11-19
TICK-FREE DAY" DEC. 1

Marks an Era in Agricultural De-
velopment of the south-Cat-
tie Cannot be Raised Profitably
Unless the Tick is Banished.
To the Editor Of The Robesonian:
This is a special request that you
90 everything in your power to make
the celebration of December 1 as
I1ck-Free Day" noteworthy through
out the South.
This day, when the entire State of |
Mississippi and ninety areas in 8 9TH
er States which have succeeded in
dipping out the cattle tick will be
freed from Federal quarantine, truly
marks an era in the agricultural de-
velopment Of the South. Every loyal
resident OF the Southern States should
join with the freed counties in rejoic-
ing that this blight of the cattle
tick has been driven from an addi-
tlonal 7O,754 square miles during 1917.
We must not waste the unusual psy-
Geological and strategic opportunity
offered by December 1 to convince
the pepole in the remaining 349,253
square miles Of the importance Of rid
ding themselves Of this meat, milk,
and feed wasting parasite.
There is no reason for the ticks
continuing its damage to the cattle
industry Of the South. Cattle can
be freed more than half the South
has eradicated the tick. The ticks
present existence in any county simp-
ly points to the fact that the people
there are not yet fully awake to the
terrible toll it extracts from every
business, and, therefore, as yet have
not become aroused sufficiently to put
into effect the simple, inexpensive
measures necessary to free their cat
tie.
In more than half of the South the
tick no longer kills cattle with fever
or sucks them thin. It no longer bars
the introduction Of proper breeding an
imals to build up beef and dairy herds
to consume profitably the South's
foodstuffs. In the remainder, cattle
still are dying by thousands of tick
fever and large part of every pound
Of forage, grain and concentrates
goes to feed useless ticks instead Of
making meat and milk.
In throwing off it's complete bond
age to cotton the South has made {
great advance by extending gradual.
its production Of food crops. Th'
greatest obstacle to the change, how
ever, was finding substitutes for cot
ton which could be marketed readil,
and profitably. Cattle, to which tn
South is adapted by climate and ag
riculture, furnish an ideal, readil
marketable commodity. Cattle, how
ever, cannot be raised profitably a
part of the farms business unless tn
tick is banished. The tick, therefor,
has been costly obstruction to. tn
evolution from one-crop farming t
profitable Investigation.
s--crease in meat production at tt
1resert juncture is an absolute essel
=. l., TIE Nation. The quickest, SUI
st way 1or the South to do it's flu
*sr:: il e?:,tributing this food is.
.e'adicate the tick. Eradication-fro
sccnexllla more selfish standpoint
) peculiarly pertant at this tin
e,,a~=e lately the South has raise
vast quantities of ve,vet beans al
7trer crops valuable in feeding Ii
TX. livery county freed from til
md permitted to develop an unir
,,eded live stock industry is ma
Ike right at home for velvet bea
and other feedstuffs The introJu
ton of better breeding stock tIlroug
OuC CIe tEch-lE16O area dt1l more
Gently the transfer of excellent gra
cattle from Texas to the pastures
the Southeast have put many far1
ers in the freed areas in position
use these new products and to pro
fully from dairying or raising catt
for meat.
There will be an excellent mark
for meat for years irrespective
whether peace comes soon or is 10
deferred. All the world is meat-hr
cry and wonderful opportun
awaits the South to satisfy this
sential demand If only it will era
cate the tick, enable itself to ma
full rather than partial use of it's fl
age, and open up it's cattle to
free cattle markets of the world.
CLARENCE OUSLEY,
Assistant Secretary, Department
Agriculture.
Washington, D. C.
Nov ~ 1917