THE AGllICULTURAL NEWS. 



The Improvement of Native 

 Cattle in the West Indies 



Adoene Effect of Tieka 



The Urgent Need for Dipping Tanks 



MTTLC TMa 



-•* 



Extrecl from an artielt ly Th* Dinthr tf At Jgmaka Departmtnl rf Atrteaban. pMliM tn N».S VoLII of the " Bulletin ' 



of On DtpartamtL 



" Until quite recently rery little had been done to cxmtrol 

 the cattle ticks in Jamaica, beyond the application of "T*r 

 aad Oil " sis a smear to congested areas of large ticks. 

 The intensification of non-tropical blood in the herd*, 

 with the consequent increase in the hair of the animals and 

 the tenderness of their skins, resulted in a serious increase 

 in the tick-pest under the inadequate system of control 

 generally prevailing on the pens. 



The consequence has been that the breeding of high- 

 class beef cattle became commercially unprofitable owing 

 to the serious loss of calves from tick- infection and the 

 slow maturation of the fattening gangs. By the introduc- 

 tion of cheap cattle from Central America about 20 yean 

 ago, the blood parasite of Tick Fever was introduced into 

 Jamaica, and the tick-pest became not merely a sucker 

 of the blood and a depreciator of the vital forces of our 

 cattle, but an actual propagator of a parasite which 

 destroyed the whole blood system of a susceptible animal so 

 as to cause it the most serious loss of condition, or even to 

 die of 'red water.' 



When this disease first spread in Jamaica very serious 

 losses of cattle were incurred, and the best bred beef stock 

 were the most susceptible to the disease. By the control 

 of the ticks within reasonable limits, and the natural im- 

 munisation of the cattle that survived the attacks of the 

 parasite, the cattle industry surmounted this attack, but 

 the deteriorating influence has remained, and even ' immune' 

 cattle suffer severely from partial destruction of the blood 

 oystem when badly infested with the ' grass lice,' which is 

 the stage of the tick in which the fever parasite is inoculated 

 into the animal with fresh virulence. 

 -* 



In the first degree, therefore, the improvement of our 

 beef cattle in Jamaica has been hampered by the tick 

 Broblem, and secondly by the wide spread prevalence of 

 w fever parasite wherever cattle are bred in the Island. 

 71»* finest breeds of l>eef cattle are the most susceptible to 

 -^ tidt-infestation and the least resistant to the fever 

 This fact explains the miserable animals thai 



bai* ff«Queatly resulted from the use of English Shorthorn 

 Bulk of the finest breeding on a native herd of cattle. 



The half-breds have remained stunted and unthrifty 

 with long staring coats, and in many cases have prcived 

 vastly inferior to their dams on which it was sought to 

 eSect improvement by the prepotent and pre-eminent 



§ualities of the premier breed of British Cattle, the 

 horthom. 



It has been found for example, that under ordinary 

 commercial conditions of management, 80 per cent, of the 

 Hereford Calves have died; whereas, under the same con- 

 ditions, only 10 per cent, of the progeny of the ordinary 

 tropical cattle with a basis of Zebu blood failed to mature. 



The tick -problem, therefore, lies at the root oJ the 

 Improvement of our Beef Cattle in Jamaica. 



Since the visit of Professor Newsteao in 1910, pen- 

 keepers have largely developed the spraying of cattle. 

 One proprietor reports that consistent spraying has enabled 

 him to prime his steers for the butcher in six months' less 

 time than under former conditions of tick-control. 



The use of Dipping Tanks is undoubtedly indicated to 

 be the best solution of the tick-problem, and Jamaica 

 should now resolutely follow the example of South Africa, 

 Australia, and the Southern United States in tliis <lircction 

 It has been demonstrated at the Hope I'arin tliat a Tank, 

 as designed by Mr. A. H. Ritciiik, Government J^ito- 

 mologist, can be erected at a cost of £2.i for labour 

 and materials, which is capable of dealing with a large herd 

 of cattle. 



It may he safely asserted that no larjie cn'irprise r. :!ie 

 rearing and fattening of high-class beef (•.-•iili- mi J.iin.LKa 

 can be adequately equipped without a Pi|i|uii^; I'ank. and 

 it IS hoped that a wide exleiision of ihppiiiy hiII very 

 shortly be taken in hand by all the larger propnrlors ol 

 cattle in tlie Island." 



COOPER'S CATTLE TICK DIP. 



/Jus rtctivcd the ijjicial apprmal of Hu follmviiii^ Con ii fries: 

 ■ym. of South Sfnca, Northern Rhodesia, Brazi', Basutoland, 



Nyasaland, Swaziland, Southern Rhodesia, Madagascar, 

 British East Africa, German East Africa, Portuguefe East Africa. 



WEST INDIAN AGENTS. 



.<!'. KITI'.'-;: S. L. Ilnisfi.r.l A Cii. 



.VNTliir.A: I?i'iiiietl. Ihysoii iV Co. 



.lA.M'll A: I'. HeiuUiseii .V Co.. Kingston. 



<;I!KNA1)A: Tlieiii>"n. HiinKey .V Co. 



HAIUUlXiS: i;.iih:uliis Cn ,.|ieialive Cotton <'o., Ltd. 



1! A II A MAS: H. T. Riiee. Niissau. 



TKINIDAli: '1'. (iidiks tiiiiiit, litd., Port-of-Spaiii. 



I!I!1TISH (JIJANA: .Saiidlmeli. I'arkor »t Co. 



ST. \'IN('KNT: Coiea A Co., Kingstown. 



Portuguese West Africa, Egypt, Argentine Republic, Queensland, ,\jjEiUfAN NIliiilN I.SLAM)S:ii.ii..siiiMiegelo«,.st. Croix. 



]M< iN'TSKKH.^T: W Llewellyn Wall. 



United States o' America, New South Wales, I>>iMIM('A: Hon. H. A. Kiainpidn. 



ST. U'CIA: IlaiMMil Sniis .V Co., Ciustries. 



Northern territory of Australia. (iC.ADKI.orrK: ■'<<ieieti- Iiidnsirielle it Agricole, Point-a Pitre. 



MaDfifacturers: WILLIAN COOPER & NF.PHEWS,Borkhanistcd England. 



branched:; Toronto, Chic.-.go, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckl.ind, [.tc: 'i.:tf, (Ar.ie Video, Punia Arenas, Fail London, Odesw 



