THE AGP.ICirLTL'UAL NEW.S. 



It Pays 



TO Eradicate Ticks! 



The Resultz of Tick Eradication work in the United States 



,i/ 



A vigorous co-operative campaign for the eradication of the cattle tick in the South and South-West States ol North 

 America, has been in progress since 1906, the work being conducted jointly by the Bureau of Animal Industry of the Unittd 

 States Department of Agriculture and the State and county authorities. 220,000 square miles (an area greater than Fratioe) hM 

 already been completely cleared of ticks. An effort has recently been made to secure direct evidence from the cattlemen aad 

 farmers concerned as to the results of the work. For this purpose a circular letter embodying the following questions was 

 widely distributed among the stockmen and farmers in 11 different States. The questions asked were : — 



1. What has been the average increase her head in the value of cattle in your county since tick eradication began in 1906? 



2. ^Vhat, if any, has been tlie average per cent, increase in the weight of the cattle since tick eradication began ? 



3. f"..\ press in percentage the average increase in grade or quality of the cattle since ticks were eradicated ? 



4. .Approximately what per cent, of cattle died annually of fever in your county before tick eradication began ? 



5. What is tlie probable per cent, of increase in milk production of dairy cows due to the absence of ticks ? 



Slight ly over 1,000 replies were received in all. The following is a summary of these replies, taking each question in or<ler : — 



1. AVERAGE INCREASE In VALUE of CATIXt SINCE TICK EJtADICATION BEGAN in 1006. 



Alabama ... |7.70 Arkansas ... |8.31 California ... f 15.00 Georgia ... 18.00 



Mississipi)i ... 9.00 North Carolina 8.30 © Oklahoma ... 8.20 South C<iroIina 9.25 



Tennessee ... |10.W Texas ... $13.79 Virginia ... |13.28 



Average of 1 1 State* — I 9.7S 



KOTK—tiM should be de^ueUd/tomtlu above incrtatet as repretrnting the oemral Hie (n the value of cattle whitk JUi (alun flaee tkroufhout the eountrv, 



and which cannot, therefore^ he said to be due to the eradication of tUk4. 



I a. INCREASE IN WEIGHT OF CATTLE. 



, The averages for the States ranged from 11 per cent, in Texas to 23 per cent, in Mississippi, and the average per cent of gain 

 lor the entire tick-free territory was 19.14. In other words, the cattle as a whole are considered lo be about one-fifth heavier 

 than before tick destruction was commenced. 



i 3. INCREASE IN QUALITY OF CATTLE. 



! The lowest State average was 16 per cent, for Georgia, and the highest 31 percent, for Mississippi. The average for the 11 States 

 \»ns 26.91 per cent., which means that the cattle in the tick-free sections at present are rather over one-fourth better in grade or quality. 

 This IS proof, if proof were needed, that the unprofitable "scrub" animal and the tick go together, and that when the latter 

 banished, and not until then, is the influx of pure bred animals on a large and profitable scale possible. 



4. ANNUAL LOSSES BEFORE TICK ERADICATION. 



There is practical unanimity in allowing that considerable losses were caused by Tick fever before the inauguration ol the 

 c eradication work. The figures range from 9 per cent, in Georgia, to 15 per cent, in Mississippi and North Carolina, and the 

 ajbrerage for the 11 States is 13 per cent. This is a trifle over one-eighth of the total cattle. 



] It requires but little imagination to see what a serious handicap to the cattle industry of the South an annual loss of this 

 magnitude must be. Some idea of its extent maybe had by taking the census figures for cattle in 1910. According to these there 

 Were in round numbers 15,000,000 cattle below the Tick quarantine line, with a valuation of slightly over $270,000,000. 



I One-eighth of this sum is -134,000,000, which represenU roughly the annual loss from deaths alone, not counting the depreciation 

 lit numcrniis other ways, such as stunted growth, discrimination in markets, shrink.ige in milk production, etc., all of which 

 Will more than double the amount name<L 



i S. INCREASE IN MILK PRODUCTION. 



I The owners of dairy cows in the region cleared of ticks are evidently well satisfied with the results of the work, since 95 per- 

 cent, of ilie nplies admit there was an increase, usually very substantial, in the yield of milk. 



• The lowe>t estimates are from Alabama and Georgia, these two States averaging 15 per cent, increase in each, while the highest 

 average, 25 percent, increase, is from North Carolina, closely followed, however, by 24 percent, each in Mississippi and Oklahoma. 

 The average for the 11 States is 23 per cent., which is a gain of nearly one-fourth in the total Milk yield. 



'; It is easy to see what a great advantage this would be if it could be applied to all the ticky cows in the; South. Tl«» 

 ai4ditional milk would in the aggregate be worth many millions of dollars. 



IT IS CHEAPER TO KILL. TICKS THAN TO FEED THEM. 





1 1 



tick I 



I COOPER'S CATTLE TICK DIP WEST INDIAN AGENTS ; 



«s- . .■ II- ■ 1 I e .L t II ■ r^ _._-.... ANTIGUA : Bennatt. Bryson 4 C»., 3t. Jahna. 



ftaa r«c«iv«</ th* officio/ approval of tht following Coanlnat: BAHAMA*- H. T. Brlc*. Nassau, N.P. 



^. .„ ,^ .. », ,. „,. J „ , „ ., J BARBADOS: Barbsdo.^ C«-op«r»tlve Cotton Co.. Bridtetawa. 



Dadtoo of South Afncs. Nortfaero Rhodesia. Bruil. Buutoland. BRITISH GUIANA: T. (Icddci Urant. Ltd. 



NTaaaland. Swazilsod. Southern Rhodmis. MadaCsacar. DOMINICA: Hon. H. A. Framptan- UREN ADA : Thomson, lUokay • C*. 



OUADELOUPe : The station Aarronomigue de la QuadalaaiM, 



British East Africa. OermaD East Africa. PortucucM East Africa. Polnt-A-Pltre. JAMAICA: D. Henderson * Co., Klacataa. 



P„H«<ue«,W«.tAfri.^. E„pt Argentine Republic. Ou..c»l««l mONt/'eRRaVT W.^'uew^.^'w^.'''' NeV?/"*:""'! 



United SUtes of America. New South Wales. ST. KITT5: S. L, tiortUwd * Ca. ST. LUCIA: Baruvd Somt 



' «_.. ™. _.. _. . .—ii Castries. ST. VINCHNT: Caraa * Ca.. KUwaUwa. 



NorttMro Territory of Australia. TRINIDAD A TOBABO: T. Ocddas Qraat. LM. 



AMERICAN VIROIN l8LAf«DS: O. H. Schnlaialaw, St. 



Muiafactiiren : WILLIAM COOPER & NEPHEWS, Berkhamsted, Englaml 



