ToL. XIII. No. 316. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 



183 



LIVE STOCK NOTES. 



RESULTS OF CATTLE TICK ERADICA- 

 TION IN THE UNITED STATES. 



Quite recently a considerable amount of investigation 

 work has been carried on in certain places in the West 

 Indies in regard to the eradication of ticks which have for 

 years occasioned so much loss amongst cattle and even 

 amongst several other kinds of domestic animals in these 

 islands. The following summary, therefore, of a recent report 

 issued by the United States Department of Agriculture on 

 work of a similar but far more extensive and far better 

 organized kind in America, should be of considerable interest 

 to most readers of the Agricultural News. 



The particular tick which causes so much trouble in the 

 southern states of America is known as Margaropus aniiula- 

 tus, and is the carrier of Texas fever. An organism very 

 closely related if not identical with this species exists in the 

 West Indies and has been determined as Boophilus ausfralis. 

 In the United States the cattle tick ciuses enormous losses 

 to the industry, but before the intioduction of the present 

 system of quarantine and inspection and eradication methods, 

 there was grave possibility of the cattle industry in Texas 

 being completely crippled. That the work under considera- 

 tion has had a vastly beneficial result is clearly indicated in 

 the publication referred to above, and in the following para- 

 graphs we will attempt to show the ways and the extent to 

 which this beneficial influence has been felt. 



In order to obtain this information the Bureau of Animal 

 Industry sent out a circular containing eight questions to the 

 stockmen and farmers in eleven States in the territory 

 bordering on the quarantine line. The first question was: 

 What has been the average increase per head in the value of 

 cattle in your country since tick eradication began in 1906? 

 The majority of the answers to this question showed that 

 there was an immense advantage in favour of the tick free 

 territory, and it was evident that a large portion of the gain in 

 value in the clear portions of the eleven States above men 

 tioned may fairly be ascribed to the influence of the tick 

 work. Figures are given in the Bulletin under review 

 which space will not permit our reproducing here. As 

 regards the second question concerning increase in the 

 weight of cattle as a result of tick work, the great 

 majority of the replies staled there was a substantial 

 increase in the weight of cattle subsequent to the clearing of 

 the ticks. The figures sent in indicated, to put it shortly, 

 that the cattle as a whole are con.sidered to be about 

 one fifth heavier now than they were before the commence- 

 ment of the eradication work. Favourable results have been 

 recorded concerning increase in quality as well as increase 

 in weight. Out of a total of 939 replies there were only 

 ■twenty-nine which said that there had been no better- 

 ment in quality — a minority of 3 per cent. The losses 

 before tick eradication, arrived at from the information 

 contained in the answers to the fourth question, are put down 

 at .$34,000,000 annually, not counting the depreciation in 

 numerous other ways. This occurred before the tick eradi- 

 cation work was introduced. The fifth question raised a 

 point as to whether there had been an increase in the cattle 

 industry since the removal of the quarantine; there was 

 almost a unanimous reply in the affirmative. A satisfactory 

 feature of the progress of the work has been an increase in 

 the number of pure- bred cattle and a large increase in the 

 milk production. Testimony to these conclusions are to be 



found in the answers to questions No. 6 and 7 of the 

 circular which was distiibuted amongst practical and respon- 

 sible men who were in a position to give reliable infor 

 mation. Lastly it may be added that the work has led to an 

 increase in feed crops and buildings. In fact the eradica- 

 tion of the tick has acted as a strong impetus to the cattle 

 and dairy industries and has not only saved money being 

 lost but has actually encouraged capitalists to invest more. 



SWINE BREEDING IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



A by no means unimportant minor iudustry on many 

 West Indian estates is the raising of pigs, and therefore an 

 article dealing with swine breeding in the Philippines, which 

 describes the best methods adopted in that territory, sliould 

 prove of some interest in the West Indies. 



It is stated in the Philippine Agricultural Rei'iew, in 

 which the article is published, that throughout the island the 

 predominating colour of hogs is black, which appears better 

 adapted to the climate than light colours. In some tropical 

 climates where the hog industry is fairly well developed, 

 white hogs are not looked upon with favour, because they are 

 more liable to bo sun scalded and have other skin disorders. 

 In many places the red Tamworth has been found suitable. 



In speaking of the breeding sow, it is emphasized that 

 she must be prolific and be capable at least of producing two 

 litters of pigs a year with six or more in each litter. 

 Invariably it is the practice of hog raisers in the Philippines 

 to pay little or no attention to the coming young brood sow, 

 consequently nearly all of them are bred too young. Under 

 no conditions should a sow be bred under eight or nine 

 months of age. 



In the care of the young pigs, the age to wean varies 

 with the individual in each particular case. Those that have 

 made a rapid growth should be weaned when about eight weeks 

 of age, or in cases where the pigs and mothers are not doing 

 well, it may be wise to wean at a much younger age even 

 though the pigs are small. One of the secrets of success in 

 the rearing of weaned pigs is the frequent feeding in small 

 quantities. Little pigs when separated from their mothers 

 for the first few days should be fed five or six times a day. 



The article then goes on to give seme useful information 

 on the construction of buildings for pigs, which can best be 

 got by referring to the illustrations in the article acknowl- 

 edged above. 



Of the many varieties of foods found suitable for the 

 hog industry in the Philippines, the following are the most 

 common and important: grains — corn, pelay, mongo and 

 beans; roots— camotes, peanuts, taro, dasheer and cassava; 

 fruits— banana, papaya, and copra meal; fodder — guinea 

 grass, sugar-cane, cowpeas, sorghum, corn and peanut vines. 



Extensive experiments in methods of feeding have been 

 carried on in many countries, with the result that the general 

 concensus of opinion seems to show that hogs do better when 

 fed the same quantity of food per day divided into threa 

 feedings, morning, noon and night, than when fed in tw» 

 feedings, morning and night. Many combinations of the 

 various hog foods enumerated in the last paragraph but one, 

 are in use, all of which, if judiciously and properly fed, are 

 of great economic value. Not a single item mentioned is an 

 imported food and nearly all can be grown in any locality 

 throughout the Philippine Islands. 



The article concludes with an account of the most 

 common diseases of hogs as found in the Philippines. 



