The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-11-01
SOUTH
FROM PARASITE
Impetus Given to Federal Cam
paign by War Work With
Need for More Food.
VICTORY MEANS MORE MEAT
Fever Tick Has Done More to Impede
Development of Southern States
Than Any Other Single Factor
Dipping Vat Is Used.

The steady advance of the federal
state and county forces fighting the
cattle fever tick in ten southern states
means benefits not only for the owners
of live stock in the states most directly
concerned, but to live stock owners in
all other states, and in a larger sense
to the nation as whole and all the
nations associated In the struggle
against German autOcracy.
In the first place, a victory over the
ticks will mean that Southern farmers
will have no obstacle to the conversion
Of their excellent pasture lands into
good heat and milk. Next, it will
mean new and important market
for Northern-bred live stock. Finally
there will be more meat and more milk
for America and the allies.
That is why the anti-tick fight, al
though carried on only in 10 of the 4S
states, is in reality national enter
prise.
A Destroyer Of Food.
To Americans not acquainted with
the destructive work of the cattle
fever tick it should be explained that
this little parasite has done more to
impede the development Of the South
ern cattle industry than any other
single factor. The tick not only sucks
the blood of cattle, making them thin
and scrawny, and uses for its own
meat and milk, but it spreads among
the cattle the serious splentic or tick
fever. Cattle seriously infested with
ticks become emaciated and weak, and
thousands of them die every year.
The method Of fighting the ticks
adopted by the United States depart
ment of agriculture, in cooperation
with the states and counties, is the
use Of the cattle dipping vat. At regu-
lar intervals throughout the summer
cattle infested with ticks or likely to
be infested are given a bath in the
watts. The baths contain an arsenical
solution which kills the ticks. Repeti-
ton Of the baths and effective quaran-
tine measures prevent the spread Of
ticks and fever, and are gradually
pushing the freed area toward the Gulf
Of Mexico and the Atlantic ocean.
When the United States entered the
world war the national congress saw
fit to hasten the anti-tick work by in
creased appropriations, aiming to les
sen the ravages Of this parasite and
increase our food supply. AS a result
Of the speeding-up process there were
freed from cattle ticks and released
from quarantine In 1917 total Of
7O,754 square miles, which was prac-
tically 200 per cent increase over the
average yearly accomplishment since
tick eradication was actively begun ten
years ago. This area included 127
counties and portions of counties, int
which pure-bred cattle from Northern
states or other tick-free sections may
be safely introduced for the purpose
Of improving and building up the beef
and dairy herds of the South.
Expect New Record This Year.
There are I'm operation now 26,976
dipping watts Mt which during July Of
this year 6.6S0,232 clippings of cattle
were officially supervised. There are
2202 federal state and county en-
ployees devoting their entire time to
tick eradication work, and 1t Is be-
lieved that the accomplishment of 1913
viii exceed that Of last year. 1t is ex-
pected that practically all Of Louisiana
and all Of South Carolina, I'm addition
to areas In other states, will be freed
this year.
The most notable accomplishment of