Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-04-11
TICKS BLIGHT
TO LOUISIANA
Mississippi Plans Double
Fence To Bar Pest-Rav-
aged Cattle


| dppi Is going ahead with its plans
to build a double fence between that
state and Louisiana to keep Louis
iana's ticky cattle from injecting
! the cattle on clean territory in Mis-
sissippi. This fence will be about
40 miles in length. A similar fence
was erected by Georgia to keep off
Florida cattle years ago. The Mis-
sissippi counties held off for a long
time, hoping that Louisiana would
take measures to rid itself Of the
cattle tick.
The demand to rid Louisiana Of
the cattle tick has been increasing
rapidly during the past year. IL
comes from many sections. where
old-time range-cattle conditions OBJ
tanned and tick eradication was
fought, less than II months ago.
There are some sections, however,
in which the change of heart has
not taken place, and Governor Long
is pretty strong politically in those
sections, hence he vetoed the tick
eradication bill passed by the last
session of the legislature. and has
refused to consider the subject dur
ing the special session.
It is stated by those who have
studied conditions that there can be
no ~beef-cattle, no dairy, and no di-
versified farming development IN
sections that are subject to the de-
vastations of the tick.
The tick consumes about 240
pounds of a cows blood a year. Feed
that goes to the formation of milk
and flesh in clean country, goes TO
support the tick in two-thirdS OF the
parishes of Louisiana.
Does Not Produce Needs
The two stockyards at New Or
leans supply about 60 per cent OF
the beef, pork and mutton con-
slIn1ed in this city. OF this, only
10 per cent comes from Louisiana;
the rest is imported. New Orleans
he able to buy SIC, 900 900 OF live
stock dive weight valued a year
from Louisiana, if the Louisiana
farmers had it TO sell. Furthermore.
All louisiana does not produce lal1
of the dairy products used by Ne"
Orleans alone.
New Orleans consumes SIC, 5OO,OOO
of milk. butter and cheese a year.
OF this, only S $4,000, 900 IS produceo
in Louisiana.
OF the 25, 1000 gallons Of milk con-
s1,med every day in New orleans,
about half comes from NEARBY any
local diaries, and the rest IS shipped
in, with so per cent OF u coh1ILIs
from Mississippi. There are only
two points in Louisiana Where hllIA
is produced in such quantities ina
carlot shipments can be maqe.
About $50, 00O,0 900 OF dairy prod
nets are imported into louisiana
every year, according to estimates
by the agricultural department O
the association of commerce. II
would be hard to estimate tne
amount of meat shipped IN tnaU
could be produced in Louisiana Inc
total is many million dollars.
Mississippi Develops
since the neighbor state OF MIS-
sissinni began serious efforts 10
clean un the cattle tick, 1t has de-
veloped a strong agricultural pros
neritv Five wears ago. Mississippi
Was importing $4,000, 900 OF oalry
nroducts a year; now it Is export
mo that much. after producing
enough for its own needs. IL mas
many creameries and cheeS Iac-
tories. -
L~ouisiana's cattle supply IS olmIn-
sshing. Five year sage, there were
q 600 head of cattle, according 10
the agricultural department census.
Tha number has now ShrunK "
souething more than O,OO m
cIuding all calves. The cattle con-
sI,med are not being replaced py
breeding. because cattle brought
rom clean territory into tlcAy Ter
ritorv for breeding purposes ole al
most Immediately.
Two thirds Of the LOUISIANA par
;shers are under tick quarantine II
thew are shipped to New Orleans,
or to n other state market they
must be killed Immediately.
Tickle cattle are mucn shlaIleI
and more under-developed IMAM
clean cattle Of the same breed ana
o1e In the New Orleans stock yaruS'
tirkv cattle bring about 81 or even
90 A hundred pounds less than clean
csttle II IS estimated by stock
sards officials that yearlings from
ticky territory average SIS a heao
less than animals of the same age
.rd strain from clean territory.