Vol. XI. No. 254. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



27 



OF GROUND NUTS. In Montseirat the ripening nuts 

 were attacked by mealybug, and in one instance a caterpillar 

 ■was reported to lie feeding on the leaves. 



OF ONIONS. This crop was attacked by caterpillars, in 

 Montserrat, Antigua and Nevi.s, in which last island a pois- 

 oned bait was used with success. .Severe attacks of Thrips 

 were recorded in Montserrat, in several 1 jcalities. 



ciF INDIAN coKN. The com ear worm occurred in some 

 numbers in several islands. The boll worm (ILiintkis 

 obsoleta) and the corn ear worm {L'qihi/'iin^fnifiipiriln) are 

 here included together under the common name of the latter. 

 Toward the end of the year an attack of LajJii/gma fruyi- 

 2Mrd(i and the moth borer of the sugar-cane {Diatmen 

 swcharalis) on Indian corn was reported from Montserrat. 



Mr. A. r. Borden, of Pierce, Texas, the leading author- 

 ity on these importations, says that every year proves more 

 conclusively the desirability of crosses between the cattle of 

 India and our common cattle from West Europe as producers 

 of live stock products in Texas and the Southwest generally. 

 {Americon Breeders,' Magazine, Vol. II, Xo. 3, p. 2.3.3.) 



LIVE STOCK. 



ZEBU CATTLE RESISTANT TO TEXAS 



FEVER. 



The Twenty-sixth Annual Iteport of the Bureau of 

 Animal Industry, recently issued, contains the following, 

 relative to the immunity of Zebu cattle: — 



About thirty years ago a number of the so-called Brah- 

 man cattle of India was introduced into southern Te-icas by 

 A. VI. Tierce, a stockman of Pierce, Texas. These animals 

 were crossed with our domestic cattle, and the resulting 

 influence on the herds was markedly apparent. One of the 

 most interesting observations was that their progeny remained 

 relatively free from ticks while other stock in the same pas- 

 ture would be literally covered with the.se pests. The cattle 

 ticks are present in such enormous quantities in this section 

 of Texas as to make cattle-raising much less profitable than 

 it should be. This is due not so much to the fact that 

 these ticks carry the Texas fever micro-organism as to their 

 great blood sucking powers as external" parasites. The 

 Brahman grade cattle appear likewise to be less affected by 

 other parasites and pestiferous insects such as mosquitoes, 

 horntlies, gadflies, etc., and to withstand better the warm, 

 dry climate and other semitropical conditions present in the 

 Gulf Coast section of the United States than do the native 

 cattle 



The sebum secreted by the sebaceous glands of the skin 

 has a peculiar odour which .seems to be repugnant to insect 

 life. The hide, while it may be as thin as in our domestic 

 animals, still appears to be much tougher and is more diffi- 

 cult to penetrate with a hypodermic needle. The hair is 

 .quite short and does not provide favourable shelter for the 

 development of ticks. These three factors are probably 

 responsible for the slight amount of tick molestation which 

 these animals experience. 



Dr. Farrington, Assistant Chief of that Bureau, in com- 

 menting on that statement, says : — 



It has recently been reported to this office that the 

 descendants of the 1 906 importation have proved, and are 

 proving, fully as resistant to the Texas fever ticks as the 

 members of the earlier importations, and in consequence 

 acquire a large growth, and are always in superior condition 

 and thrift. 



There were thirty-three animals in the importation of 

 1906, and at the present time half-blood and three quar- 

 ter-blood descendants in large numbers have been carefully 

 observed and all have proved very satisfactory in their resist- 

 ance to infection with Texas fever. 



THE PHILIPPINE CARABAO. 



Information is given concerning the Philippine 

 carabao, or water biitfklo, in the Philip-pine Agricul- 

 tural Journal for September 1911, and from this the 

 following e.xtracts are taken : — 



The carabao is the most important domestic animal in 

 the Philippines. Upon these animals the agriculture of the 

 islands is largely dependent, probably more than 90 per cent, 

 of the draft work, of all kinds, Vjeing performed by them. 

 They are used in preparing the land for planting, in cultiva- 

 tion, and in transporting the crops to market. The carabao 

 cart is the only conveyance for thousands of families. The 

 milk, which is of good quality, is used in the Philippines 

 practically to the exclusion of all other kinds. After their 

 usefulness as draft animals has passed they are slaughtered, 

 the meat used for food, and the hides made into leather. 



There are in the islands more than 713,121 caraliaos. 

 The numbers are increasing, but not in proportion to the 

 demand. About 10,000 are imported annually from Indo- 

 China. 



A good many cattle are used, especially for road work 

 and for sugar-cane cultivation. That the carabaos are infer- 

 ior to cattle, for most Imes of work, is the opinion of many. 

 However, the prejudice in favour of the carabao is so strong 

 with the labouring class, that they usuallj' prefer these 

 animals. The carabao is treated better and given more atten- 

 tion than any other class of domestic animals in the i.slands. 



The great advantage that the carabao has over the other 

 draft animals is his ability to work easily in mud, where 

 cattle would be of little value and a horse would be useless. 

 This trait is of great importance in this country, as most of 

 the rice is planted in paddies during the rainy season, and 

 the land is prepared in a semi-liijuid state. For this work 

 the carabao is the only animal in existence that is at all 

 satisfactory. The greater strength of the carabao enables 

 him to haul larger loads than would be possible for cattle — 

 an important advantage, as both cattle and carabaos are 

 usually worked singly with a man in charge of each animal. 



In the absence of mud, carabaos are inferior to cattle 

 as draft animals; they are much slower, are unable to 

 work as long at a time, cannot perform labour in the sun as 

 well, are more susceptible to disease and do not increase as 

 rapidly. 



The native carabaos are much the same in all parts of 

 the country and are all draft animals, there being no milking 

 strains among them, as in India. The local animal is smaller 

 than those imported from Indo-China, but is superior for 

 work purposes, being hardier, stronger and more willing. 



Though carabaos do not breed as rapidly as cattle, the 

 period of gestation being longer and the dam usually not 

 breeding until the calf is weaned, still they increase rapidly 

 with but little mortality among the calves. As with other 

 classes of stock, no care is given to the breeding or the 

 improvement of these important animals by most of the 

 people raising them. Though the Philippine carabaos will 

 compare favourably with those of other countries, much 

 could be done toward their improvement by selection. 



