Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-12

As the poet says.
->
THE JOURNALS LETTER BOX.
Editor sem-Woekly Journal,
ain enclosing you herewith letter from
w. D. Wells, Abel, Ca, and my reply to him,
(Which Shall be glad to have you publish, it
is OF interest to Z large number of people.
Thanking you for this courtesy I am,
Yours very truly,
PETER F. BAHNsEN,
State Veterinarian.
Abel, Ga, June 81, 1918.
DR. Peter F. Bahnsen.
Atlanta, Ga.
Dear Sir: notice With interest in papers
your purpose to try free Georgia from cattle tick.
I favor such move but am not much effected
by it. One point of information l would be
glad to have I usually keep only one COW
keep her up and stabilized most of time, some
times run cultivated fields little, hence do
not have ticks Would such person be required
to dip thus kept under your plan?
why not make similar the hog louise?
Could they be completely eradcated by similar
method? From some experience I've had l
rather think they could and much quicker and
cheaper than the tick, but have not carried
test far enough to absolutely prove it. am
Il farmer and interested in this line of stock rails
ing. | am quite sure IN TINS community that the
hog louise is destroying more meat in a month
than the tick does in year and almost as much
as cholera
If you would explain these two questions
through Semi-Weekly Journal Tri-Weekly Con-
stitution l would it there and it might be of
interest to others Yours truly,
W. d. WELLS.
Atlanta, July Sth, 1918.
w. D Wells Adel, Ga.
Dear Sir This acknowledges your communi-
cation under date of June 9th and complying
with your request | shall submit my reply and
your inquiry to The SemWeekly Journal for
publication.
Answering your first inquiry regarding the
dipping of q that has been kept free of ticks
and your own premises, beg to advise:
In stock law counties, where animals
at large to u general infestation of ranges,
highways and byways, we usually make pre-
limnary survey Of each farm in the county in
order to locate all tick infestation and then
qure only those people to dip who have infested
cattle and infested premises. IN open range cOun-
ties such preliminary survey would be useless
expenditure of public funds, because infestation
in such counties is general. We, therefore, re-
qure everybody to dip their COW or cattle req
ularly in open range counties until the work is
completed.
The only thing that prevents any county from
completing tick eradication in season is
reasonable stupidity and bul-headedness ON part
of a small percentage of non-progressive cattle
owners. Tick eradication be and should be
completed by the end of 1920.
The hog louise, like the cattle tick, is
pensive, disgusting and unwelcOme parasite. He
ought to be eradicated. Complete hog louise Grad
ication would necessitate & nationwide co-opera-
tive plan for systematic hog disinfection. The
plan is not impractical, but to make it effective
would require large state and federal appropria-
tematic disinfection Of all hogs Such an under
taking would meet with much. if not more,
opposition than does tick eradication.
If dipping otherwise disnfecting hogs to
free them of louise nfeStation compulsory
you would hear rumors a1O8t that dipping
hogs would make lose their litter, that it
would make sows and bOars barren, that it would
impoverish them and greatly reduce their COM
mercial value. Every hos that died within
period ~of 10 IA days Of dip day would be
charged up q victim to the dipping mania
just like in tick eradication thousands of sense
less, untruthful and silly reports started and
kept going by people who are deeply dyed in in
creasng prejudice and, therefore, not capable of
observing real facts.
Real progressive up to date farmers have
long since learned the benefit of keeping their
hogs free of lice. They have also learned that to
hogs periodically.
The time is not far distant when a general
campaign will be inaugurated against all para
sites and noxious rodents destructive or detri-
mental to human progress. Just when this
pagn will begin will depend solely upon general
public recognition as to the price pay to
feed and perpetuate these pests.
Cattle ticks and hog lice will be eradcdted;
flies and mosquitoes must go; rats and mice
ought to be and will be exterminated. People
with good, common sense hate all OF these pests
because they are each and ali enemies of human
progress. Yours very truly,
PETER F. BAHNSEN,
State Veterinarian.