THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Tick Suppression 



OR 



Tick Eradication? 



How often should Cattle be Sprayed ? 



CATTLE TICK 



HALF MEASURES. There arc innumciMc C'.it'c owners who think that the object of dipping or spraying is to keep ticks from getting on to 

 the cattle : r His wrong impression is held almost always b) those men who do not set before themselves as their goal the absolute eradication of ticks from 

 their property, hut are content simply to keep the number of ticks within bounds. These men aim merely at tick " suppression," and are apparently 

 content to regard ticks as a trouble that will always be wi h ihem : they look forward with equanimity to the prospect of having always to keep on spraying 

 their cattle from time to time, and do not even realise that it is perfectly possible, by spraying or dipping regularly and thoroughly, to completely eradicate 

 ticks from a property within a penod of two or three jears. 



ERADICATION SHOULD BE THE AIM. It should, therefore, be most strongly emphasised that the determination which should be behind 

 cattle dipping, cr spraying operations, is not merely to "suppress" ticks, but to completely eradicate them. 



So far from it being desired to keep ticks off cattle, the whole idea is to use the cattle to collect the ticks from the infested pastures, and then to kill all 

 ■ he ticks on the cattle by spra p ing or dipping them in a lick-des:ro)ing fluid. In this way the ticks are being continually " mopped up" by the cattle, and 

 the pasture eventually becomes absolutely free from titles. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF TH" PROFES INTERVAL. But it will be clear that, if this desirable result is to be obtained, the cattle must 

 be treated sufficiently often to prevent any ticks \%hich get on afier one dipping from falling off again before the Cattle are again dipped. If the interval 

 between treatments is too !or-g, man} female ticks will fdll off wi.hout ever having been dipped or sprayed. Each of these female ticks will lay several 

 thousand eggs, which means thai ihe pasture i being continually re- infested with young ticks. The importance of not allowing any lemale tick to escape spraying 

 will be realised if it is borne in mind ihat the [ rugeny of one single ftmale lick may, within a period of seven months, come to number 6.750,000,000 individuals. 



INTERVAL DEPENDS ON L1FZ HISTORY. In considering what is the proper interval between sprayings or dippings, the deciding factor 

 must be the period which a tick spends on an animal from the time it first gets on, as a seed tick, until the time it falls off as a fully-engorged female, ready 

 to lay < | 



It has been proved beyond all doubt that the ordinary Cattle Tick requires at least three weeks to complete that portion of its life-cycle which it 

 spends on in ai imal. It follows, therefore, that one dipping or spraying every 21 days, is quite sufficient to catch and destroy all ticks which have got 

 on to the animal since the previous dipping. If the operation is performed every fortnight, so much the better, as ticks will be eradicated more quickly. 



AN OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATION. The following* procedure is recommended by the Jamaica Department of Agriculture, when first 



commencing tick-eradication measures : — 



Spray once, handpicking engorged female ticks on the point of dropping. Spray again 10 days later. If ticks still appear, spray again 10 days later. 

 If no ticks are found, spray 3 weeks later. Spray every 3 weeks throughout the year, whether any ticks are seen or not. 



The next year the three-weekly spraying should be persisted in. The following year the property should be free from ticks, if this procedure is 

 observed and the sprajing i^ always very thoroughly carried out. 



HOW LONG TO CONTINUE SPR VYING. If ticks apparently disappear from the Cattle after they have been under treatment for some time, 

 the dipping or spraying should not t e discontinued unt 1 it has been determined bv a number of careful hand inspections that the cattle are really free of ticks. 

 If ticks continue on cattle until cold wea:her and then final/ disappear, it should be borne in mind that in all probability eradication has not really been 

 accomplished, as there ma) be engorged females, unh itched eggs, and inac ive seed ticks on the farm ; consequently, even if the cattle should remain free of ticks 

 during the winter, they may become re-infested the following spring. In any case in which ticks disappear from the cattle and treatment is discontinued, 

 the cattle should be watched with the greatest care for ticks until ample time has elapsed to leave no doubt that the property is free oi ticks. 



HOW TO KEEP A PROPERTY CLEAN. After a property has been freed of ticks, precautions should be observed to prevent ticks from 

 being reintroduced. In case it becomes necessary to bring cattle from a ticky property, they should be completely freed of ticks before being 

 brought on the place; or, if this is no: possible, a quarantine lot, or pen, should be set aside to be used exclusively for ticky cattle, where such cattle may be 

 kept and entirely (reed o( ticks before being place i with other cattle, ^uth cattle may be freed of ticks bv dipping them twice at an interval of 10 days in an 

 arsenical dip. After the ---econd dip[ ing, the cattle should not be placed in the quarantine pen, winch may be "ticky," but placed in a tick-free lot, where they 

 can be observed for a tims, to make absolutely certain that they carry no ticks, after which they may be placed with the other cattle. 



COOPER'S CATTLE TICK DIP 

 Hat received the official approval of the following Countries : 

 Union of South Africa. Northern Rhodesia, Brazil, Basutoland. 



Nyasaland, Swaziland, Southern Rhodesia, Madagascar, 

 British Fast Africa, German East Africa, Portuguese Fast Africa, 

 Portuguese West Africa, Egypt, Argentine Republic, Queensland, 



United States of America, Northern Territory of Australia. 



WEST INDIAN AGENTS: 



ST. KITTS: S. L. Horsford & Co. ANTIQUA: Bennett. Bryson ft Co. 



JAMAICA: I). Henderson & Co., Kingston. 



GRENADA: Thomson. Hnnkey & Co. 



BARBADOS: Barbados Co- Operative Cotton Co., Ltd. 



TRINIDAD: T. (ieddes Grant. Port of Spain. 



BRITISH GUIANA: Sundbach, Parker & Co. 



ST. VINCENT: Corea & Co.. Kingstown. NEVIS: S. D. Malone. 



DANISH WEST INDUS: Curl V. Ln Beet, St. Thomas. 



MONTSKRRAT: W. I.lewell>n Wall. DOMINICA: Hon. H. A. Irampton 



Manufacturers : WILLIAM COOPER & NEPHEWS, Berkhamsted, England. 



BRANCHES : Toronto, Chicago, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Buenos Aire,, Monte Video, Punta Arena,, Eait London, Odeua. 



