THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



The Improvement of Native 

 Cattle in the West Indies 



Adverse. Effect of Ticks 



The Urgent Need for Dipping Tanks 



CATTLE TICK 



rsHALe 



Extract from an article by The Director of the Jamaica Departmerxt of Agriculture, published in No. 8 Vol. II of the " Bulletin ' 



of the Department. 



"I'iilil quite recently very little had been done to control 

 the cattle ticks in Jamaica, beyond the application of "Tar 

 and Oil " as a smear to congested areas of large ticks. 

 The intensification of non-tropical blood in the herds, 

 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 

 vrenprally prevailing on the pens. 



The consequence has been that the breeding of high- 

 class beef cattle became commercialW 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 years 

 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- 

 uumisalion 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 destgjction of the blood 

 system 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, thd' improvement of our 

 beef cattle in Jamaica has been hampered by the tick 

 problem, and secondly by the wide spread prevalence of 

 the fever parasite wherever cattle are hied in the Island. 

 The finest breeds of beef cattle are the most siisceplible to 

 <be tick-infestation and the least resistant to the fever 

 paiasite. This fact explains the miserable animals that 



have frequently resulted from the use of English Shorthorn 

 Bulls 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 proved 

 vastly inferior to their dams on which it was sought to 

 effect improvement by the prepotent and pre-eminent 

 qualities of the premier breed of British Cattle, the 

 Shorthorn. 



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 of the 

 improvement of our Beef Cattle in Jamaica. 



Since the visit of PROFESstui Newstead 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 .Vfrica, 

 Australia, and the Southern United Stales in this direction. 

 It has been demonstrated at the Hope Farm that a Tank, 

 as designed by Mr. .4. H. Ritcuie, Government Ento- 

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

 and materials, which isicapable of dealing with a large herd 

 of cattle. 



It may be safely asserted that no large en'erimsc.- i:i mic 

 rearing and fattening of high-class beef cattle in Jamaica 

 can be adequately equipped without a Pipphig Tank, and 

 it is hoped that a wide extension of dipping will very 

 shortly be taken in hand by all the larger prophetois ol 

 cattle in the Island." 



COOPER'S CATTLF. TICK DIP 

 Has received the official approval of ths following Countries : 

 Union of ^outh Africa, Northern Rhodesia. Hrazil, Rasutoland, 



N)'a.<al.':nd, Swaziland, Southern KhodcsJM, Mada);ascar, 



Biliish l:i;st Africa, German East Africa, Portuguese Ecsl Africa, 



PorluRufs-e West Africa, Egypt, Argentine Republic, (Jueensland, 



United States of America, New South Wales, 



Northern Territory of Australia. 



WES T INDIAN AGENTS : 



ST. KITTS: S. L. Hor.<l .rd & Co. ANTIOl'A: Uennett. ISry-^on & Co. 



JAMAtCA: 1). 'H<;iidcr.son & Co.. Kini,-.<ton. 



Ok'l:\\l)A; Tlliimsim, HanUo ,<< Co. 



BARBADO.S; Harbiidos Cii-i.perotiM- Cotton Co., Ltd. 



BAMA.MA.<: W.N. Iwynum. Nu.s.suu. 



TRIMDAl): T. aedd(.-s (irant. I'ort of Spiiin. 



BKITlStl (il'IANA: -■^andbach, Parker «: Co. 



ST. VINCENT: Corca & Co.. Kincstow n. NliVIS: 5. D. Malone. 



I)AM.SH WK.'^T INDIES: Carl V. l.a Beet. St. Thoma.s. 



AlONTSEKRAT: W. I.lc« cilyn Wall. DOMINICA: Hon. H. A. Frampton. 



-ST. l.l'CIA: Barnard -Son.-i & Co., Castries. 



Manufacturers : WILLIAM COOPER & NEPHEWS, Berkhamsted, England. 



BRANCHES : Toronto, Chicajo, Sydney, Melbourne, AncUiiid, Buenoi Aire», Monte Video, Punta Arenw, Eait Undon, OdcM>. 



