THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



The -Improvement of Native 

 Cattle m the West Indies 



Adoerse Effect of Tieka 



The Urgent Need for Dip^g Tanks 



CATTLH TICK 



-$*- 



Ezlract from an article by The Diretlor of Ihe Jamaica DeparbaeM of Agrieahare, piMahed In Na. 8 VoL II of the 



of ihe Department 



Bulletin ' 



" Until 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 

 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 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 depredator 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 witlyn 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 

 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, the 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 bred in the Island. 

 The finest breeds of beef cattle are the most susceptible to 

 ittt tick-infestation and the lejist resistant to the fever 

 pmrasite. This fact explains the miserable animals that 



have frequently resulted from tha 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 pro.geny 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 Professor 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 butclier 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 this direction. 

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

 as designed by Mr. A. H. Ritchie, Government Ento- 

 mologist, can be erected at a cost of £^25 for labour 

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

 of cattle. 



It may be safely asserted that no large enterprise in the 

 rearing and fattening of high-class beef cattle in Jamaica 

 can be adequately equipped without a Dipping Tank, and 

 it is hoped that a wide extension of dipping will very 

 shortly be taken in hand by all the larger proprietors ol 

 cattle in the Island." 



COOPER'S CATTLE TICK DIP 

 H<" received the official approval of the following Counlriet : 

 tniun uf South Africa, Northern Rhodesia, Brazil, Basuloland, 



IMyasalaad, Swazilaad, Southern Rhodesia, Madagascar, 



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



Portuguese West Africa, Egypt, Argentine Repnblic, Queenslaad, 



United States of America, New South Wales, 



Northera Territory of AnstraHt. 



Maaufacturers : WILLIAM COOPER & 



WEST INDIAN AGENTS : 



ST. KITT5: S. L. Horiiford & Co. ANTIQUA : Bennett, Br. aon ft Co. 



JAMAICA: D. Hender.ion & Co.. Kincston. 



QkE^ADA: Thom.'ion. Hankev & Co. 



BARBADOS: Barbado.'i Co-operative Cotton Co., Ltd. 



BAHAMAS: W. N. Twynam. Na-s.^au. 



TRIMDAl): T. Oeddcs (jrant. Port ol Spain. 



BRITISH OUIANA: Sandbach, Parker & Co. 



ST. VINCENT: Corea & Co., Kingstown. N-EVIS: S. D. Malone. 



DANISH WEST INDIES; A. Schmieselow. St. Croix. 



M0NT5ERRAT: W. Llewellyn Wall. DO.MINICA: Hon. H. A. Frampton. 



ST. LUCIA: Barnard Sons A Co., Castries. 



NEPHEWS, Berkhamsted, England. 



BKANCHES : Ttrtato, Ckicago, SjiMtf, MelkMne, AKkltBd, Bgeaet Aixet, Moale Video, PonU Arenu, East Uadon, Oieua. 



