The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-06-17
ABOUT CATTLE
RAISERS OF THE STATE
tKissimmee Valley Gazette)

(Kissimmee Valley Gazette)
The annual meeting of the execu-
tive committee of the Florida Cattle
Raisers' Association will be held in
Kissimmee at the Office of the secre-
tary, S .Summerlin, on next Monday,
and it is expected that the entire
thirteen members, together with the
president, who are members ex-oficio,
viii be present in Kissimmee at that
time.
The growth of this association Is
something which was hardly reckoned
at the outset. When the association
was formed, at Orlando. in 1919, there
were 81 members; and while it was
contemplated there would be a con-
siderable increase in the roster of
membership there was no one who
considered for a moment that at this
time there would be more than 700
names of men affiliating, paying dues
and taking an actice interest in all
the proceedings of the body! Yet such
is fact
The executive committee which will
meet in Kissimmee on Monday repre-
sents more than TOO cattle raisers,
and those men control among them
selves more than 100000 head of
stock. The membership is being add
ed to constantly-for it is the desire
to have on the roster of the associa-
ton the name of every man in the
state owning stock in large or small
numbers.
| Notwithstanding the lowered price
of cattle in Florida-and the lowered
price which exists over the entire
United States-there has been an in
crease in this state in values for as
sessment purposes of about 80 per
cent having been. agreed that the
general run of stock which has here
tofore been placed on the books at Sc
head should be figured at So for this
year. This rate has been strenuously
opposed by the stock growers who feel
that with the lowered selling price of
the commodity the rate should have
been at least kept where it had been.
! Secretary Summerlin, whose Office
in Kissimmee is always a busy spot,
has been in the cattle business for
himself for many years-for it was
in 1876 that he commenced with a
few head to see what he could learn.
Evidently he has learned a lot or he
would not be holding the position he
now occupies. For ten years he was
in business in Cuba-and knows the
cattle business of that island in all
its phases.
Asked: "Are the cattlemen of the
state antagonistic to the desire of the
government to rid the country of
ticke?" Mr.. Summerlin replied:
"Not by any means. They realize
that the world would be better off if
there were no ticks; but they do OBJ
ject to the compulsory dipping. You
see it is this way: all the cattle in a
herd are not necessarily carrying
ticks. In human being there can be
found groups of men some of whom
may expose themselves to a disease
and never feel the effects, while others
under the same circumstances would
Immediately take the complaint. So
it is with cattle. There may be a
herd of hundred head. Possibly
there will be ten in that bunch that
will be carrying ticks-and the bal
ance will not have sign of tick.
1t may be the figures are not always
like that; but what | want to say is
that it doesn't naturally follow that
all have ticks. To dip all those cat
tie every fourteen days would not
only be awfully expensive but many
would die from it. / feel safe in say
ing that in two years there would be
no ticks-because there'd be no cattle
The stock raisers know when their
cattle should be dipped; they want tc
get rid of the ticks, but they don'i
wan to dip cattle that are tickles:
merely because Uncle Sam and few
experts say they should. The govern
ment ought to give the raisers of cat
tie credit for having some sense.
"Here is something else to consid
err" continued Secretary Summerlin
"The manager of the Armour packing
} plant at Jacksonville, Tom Price
takes the attitude that the cattlemel
of this state are not giving the sup
port to his institution due to maxim,
J it success; consequently the plan
may have to close. So far as the cat
tlemen are concerned the lack of sup
! !.