The Monticellonian., 1917-11-30

weey invasion, prevailed upon the United States congress to make appropriation in 1906 to empower the United States secretary of agricul- ture to naugurate plan of cooperation with the authorities of Southern states in tick eradication.
 In the annual report for 1907 of the chief of the bureau of animal industry 1t was stated: "En- couraging progress has been made in the eradica- ton Of cattle ticks from the Southern states. This work. which begun in the summer of 1906 under appropriation by congress of SS2500 is no longer experiment. The results already accomplished demonstrate that the termination of this costly pest is not only possible but practicable though several years may be re- quired for the completion of the work,
 The years since that report have been years of meeting and overcoming obstacles until now. when the real magnitude of the task can be ap- preciated 1t Is certain that nothing perma- nently hold up the work.
 Tick Fever and the Manner of It's Transmission
 to Cattle.
 The story of the cattle tick (known scientifcal- ly Margaropus annuatus), in relation to the part 1t plays carrier of the tcl-fever organism, Is one of the most interesting in the annals of scientific investigation. II has been described by writer a romance In pathology" It may be recalled that in the early days of our cattle exporting trade the Texas longhorn most prominent. It soon became known that these cat tle although apparently healthy themselves, caused q deadly disease In other eattle the part played by the tick being at that time unknown and unsupported. Hence the disease acquired the name of Texas fever The tick, however. is respecter of localities long as they suitable for its propagation. and tick fever occurs wher ever the combination of infected ticks and cattle Is present. The problem of combating the dis undertaken after the bureau of animal industry was organized in 1884, and few years later the epoch-making discoveries of the bureau scientists led to the true of the dis being foG7fd.
 The discovery that ticks carry germs of disease from animal to another the first instance in which the important role of insects carriers of disease was ascertained. From 1t arose new procedures in preventive sanitation. Since then the nOxious roles of various other in- seets have been learned For example: Mosqui- toes carrying malaria and yellow fever the rat flea, hubonic plague; the house fly, typhoid fever. Formerly attention paid to the carriers only treatment of the patients was considered necessary. Now mosquitoes screened out of buildings and exterminated rats are killed; and house flies screened. starved and "swatted;' all of wbieh has greatly reduced the number of victims of the mentioned diseases. The discovery of tick inoculatOn made through the joint efforts of several members of the bureau staff
 A systematic study of Southern cattle fever begun in 1888, developed that the disease, very similar to malaria in man. caused by minute protozoan parasite that invaded the red corpus cles of the blood, and In acute destroyed them fast that the spleen became clogged with debris from the blood the liver filled with bile and the red coloring matter of the blood was passed off with the urine. Intense fever de- veloped ahd the animal usually died in from to four days after first appearance of symptoms of illness. The death rate usually low In herds with many young insusceptible animals; among old cattle it high so to 90 per cent. It further found that the disease was acquired after the young of the cattle tick called seed ticks-attached to the cattle. AcQu sition of the ticks found to be governed by their life history. on which is based the science of tick eradication and also the rules of quarantine The life history Is follows
 Adult ticks carried by cattle fall to the ground and in about week each female lays from 2,00O to 1000 eggs. each of them carrying fever germs Matching in about three weeks of warm weather but requiring much longer time fin cold weather the seed ticks remain on the ground grasses hungry and waiting for chance to attach them selves to COW or steer. Attaching themselves the ticks hunt for places in the hide they can penetrate and finding them. Immediately begin to suck blood and to grow. Two immature stages Of develenment precede the adult stage. when the males fall off the animal and die, and the females also fall off. but lay their eggs the ground before they die.
 Arseniea Dipping Vat Is Effective Weapon
 The method Of tick eradication found to be effective and now used almost exclusively is the arsenical dipping bath. This method will rid a county or ticks Tn single season. IL has been shown. For the method to he effective. every COW and steer in the county must go through the bath every two weeks during the season.
 The ticks clinging to the cattle are killed by the arsenica bath Those that attach themselves before the next bath Killed In that immersion before they have time to lay eggs. Those forced to remain in the grass die of starvation. The arsenical bath used In dipping cattle for ticks WAS developed by federal inspectors in Texas o~~oo~o>o>.~~~~>~ of the emigrants The colored their togas to ha