THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



What it Costs a Country 

 TO Keep Ticks 



THE CASE OP THE UNITED STATES 



UTTta TICK 



Extrad from VS. Depi. of AgricKUure, Sullttui Wij. 361. " Tht CaMfe Tick 

 in its Reiaiior. 1o Sou<fer-n Agricatture," by Adgcst Matbr . — 



"What It costs the Southern States to harbor the cattle tick is not 

 eafiiiy caJculated, but from observation and experience we can estimate 

 this loss with some assurance of approxiniatiDg the truth. 



BEEF CATTLK " Beiow the quarantine line we have something' 

 ver 15,000,000 cattle, the t0t.1I farm value of which is given bj- the last 

 tnsus as nearly $183,000,000. The d.'.iry cattle are credited with a \-3lue 

 : about $58,650,000, and the other catfle with over $124,000,000. From 

 r servation and experience I estimate that a shrinkage in value of 2o2 in 

 tattle, other than dairy cattle, is due to the efrects of the catrte tick. In 

 r-.:nd numbers this would mean a loss of $25,000,000 for beef cattle." 



DAIBY CATTLE. " In the case of dairy oaule, considerable damigt 

 experienced because of the extra feed required, and the >>hrinkage in the 

 • C'W of milk caused by tick infestation. It is believed that an estimate of 

 '.% d the total value of the dair)' cattle Is not overcharging the tick. This 

 aeam an annual loss of nearly $3,000,000 ior dairj' cattle. The total 

 depreciation then of southern cattle, on account of the tick, would be 

 128.000,000." 



HIGHER DEATH RATE. "The average death rate among cattle in 

 •-he tick-infested area for the year 1904-5 was about 8,33X ; in the tick-free 

 area it was about 3.13s. The total number 01 ^aitle that died in the tick- 

 iofested area during the year ended March 31st, 1905, was about i. 250,000. 

 The average farm value of these southern cattle may be put at .$12, 

 according to the Bureau of Statistics ; therefore the total annual loss from 

 leath in the tick-affected States amounted to $15,000,000. The average 

 Jeath rate in the quarantined States being nearly three times as great .as 

 na* in the tick-free States, it is not unfair to assume that tivo-thirds of 

 'lis loss by death is directly attributable to the tick, that is $10,000,000." 



DECREASED FECDNDITY. " There is a further loss to be recorded 

 agaiai* the tick in the reduction of the fecundity of the female cattle, and 

 pertu^ also in the greater proneness of tick-iiuFested cattle to diseases or 

 abiumul conditions of the reproductive organs." 



EXCEPTIONAL BXPENDrrUBE. "There is also chargeable to the 

 t«:k the greater expense of providing pasturage or extra feed for the 

 cattle during heavy infestation, for dipe and other preventive measures, 

 »ai iat extra care and extra supervision. It is deemed .t conservative 

 catinute to place the anaual lots un^r this and the previous head at 

 J8.600.000." 



STDNTINQ OF OROWTH. "There is another material charge to 

 ic entered against the tick. With tick infestation at babyhood, there is 

 vtrf little chuce to bring cattle to eariy maturity. The stunting which 

 tWy oaoaily receive obUges us to carry them until Ibey are three or more 

 jnn <M. That means two yean of extra feed and care, and capital tied 

 ly ■nfcnnrily by advene mmliliuM . It costs easily frojn $5 to $10 per 

 yMT te jKoride and onre for a cow ; and to keep our 12,000,000 beef cattle 

 a fmt «r two longer mean*, accordingly, an extra outlay of at least 

 fHLeOO,000." 



" It i* ttrj cMily 

 ■MM t»^ "Mt amoaat yadrto 

 SkicaaaMdfai tbe Tear Book cf Um 



IV ( 



1100,000,000 

 of A^lcalture for 1904.' 



Estraa from VS. Dept. of Agriculture, BuOelin 7I, on " Texas Fever" ty 



Dr. Joh:» R MOHLER, V.M.D., Chief of the Pathological Division, Bureau of 



A Himtil Industry : — 



DECREASED MARKET VALUE. "Animals coming from tick- 

 infected distiicts bring an average of one-fourth to one-half a cent less 

 per pound than the quoted market price. The handicip that is placed on 

 the southern cattle raiser as a result of this decrease in value of his stock 

 will average at the fonner figure at least $1.50 per head, allowing an 

 individual weight of 600 pounds for all classes of animals ; so that the ;i->ss 

 on the estimated 705,000 southern cattle marl;eted yearly under these con- 

 ditions will sura up at a loss of $1,057,500 per annum! It will be fou&d 

 fh.-»t this decreased value reacts and fixes the valuation of all cattle which 

 remain in the infected territory, thereby reducing the .assets of the c.ttle 

 industry of that section l>y this ratio per he.ad for the four and a half 

 millions of cattle east of the Mississippi River, and the eleven niillionii of 

 cattle west of the Mississippi River; or. altogether, the caomious 

 shrinkage in ralue of $23,250,000 directly chargeable to the cattle tick." 



LOWER MILK YIELD. "The shrinkage of the milk production of 

 ■;attle harboring many tiel.s will average i quart per day, and the loss 

 occasioned tliercl y at 3 cents per quart for the 875,000 ticky dairy cattle 

 out of more than 4,000,000 dairy cattle below the quarantine line, would 

 amou.-:t to $26,250 per day, or countin>J three luindre4 milking days for 

 each cow lo the year, 1^7.875,000 per annum." 



LOSS OF IMPORTED STOCK. "The damage resulting to tie 

 southern purcliaser of northern pure bred or high-grade cattle It another 

 item of no small moment. .4bout 10% of all such cattle taken South die 

 of Texas Fever, even after they are immunized by blood iriocuiations, and 

 about 60% of these cattle succumb to Texas Fever when not so treat«L 

 Of the approximate 4,600 of such cattle brought South each year, at least 

 460 die of Texas Fever. The loss entailed would naturally depend on the 

 value of each animal, and since tlie prices paid for such Well-breil cattle 

 range from $100 to ii.ooo or even more, it can readily be conceived tl>:,t 

 the yearly loss from this item alone varies from $46,000 upward " 



Extract from a Paf^ir read by Dr. F. Bahxsek. Chief Veterinarian ./ :ht 



State of Georgia, at Ihc ipis Aviiual Meeting of the United States I he S.Vr* 



Saiiilary Asscciiition : — 



LOSS OF MILK. " Tick infestation costs the Southern States e.iih 

 and everj- year not less than $ 1 50,000,000. Every milk cow infested witli 

 ticks will give anj'where ivon, a quart to as much as a gallon less milk tlian 

 one that is not iufected with ticks. If they are infested with licks they 

 will not recover their normal milk flow again until the next period ci 

 lactatioa. That item itself (and let t:s place it conservatively at a I0S.S not 

 exceeding $15 a head on each and every milk cow) will make an itf-rrt in 

 excess of $75,000,000." 



\ 



LOSS OF CONDITION. "When your cattle get infested with ticks 

 tbey get poor. They get thin in flesh and you have to sell them for less 

 money. It is a certaint)' that the difference in value between a poor cow, 

 infested with the tick, and the value of the cow if she were aot tiafc- 

 infested is conser\^tiveW, even with our scrub cows, $5 a bead, »md<im 

 fiat basis we lose not less than 945,000,000 or $50,000,000 ao OtU 

 noe ftezn." 



COOPER'S CATTLE TICK DIP 



Km Mtuneel the official approoal of tkm fMttii^ 



Mmi of Sootk Africa, Northern Rhodesia, Brtzil. BantalaaA 



Nyasalasd, Swaillaad. Souihera Rhodeaia, Madagucar, 



•ritiisb Eaat Africa, Oeraaa Eat-t Africa, Portigaeae taaH Afrtc% 



Portotuese Weit Africa, Egypt, Artentfae Repabllc, QMeaaiaaA 



UaHed States of Aairrici. New Sosth Wales, 



Northern Territory of Aastralia. 



WEST INDIAN AGENTS , 



5. L. H«r«lafd ft C*. ANTIOUA : Beaaett, Br. *•■ * ^*' 



JAMAICA: D. Htoittson A Co., Kinesten. 



ORBNADA: Thomson, Hankey & Co. 



•MWAD05: Barbades Co-operative Cotton Cc, Ltd. 



BAHAMAS: W. N. Twynam, NasMu. 



TRINIDAD: T. Qeddes Oront. Port of Spain. 



BRITISH nuiANA: Sandbacii, Parker d: Co. 



■V. nNCBNT: Corea & Co., Kintstown. NEVIS: 5. D Mnhma. 



DANISH WliST INDIES: A. Schmleselow. St. Croix. 



IMNT5BRRAT: W. Uewellyn Wall. DOMINICA: Hon. H. A. Frumpte^ 



ST. LUCIA: Barnard Sons ft C«.. Castries. 



4. 



Mtnufacturers : WILLIAM COOPER & NEPHEWS, Berkhamsted, Engla 



BItANCHES : T?ia:tio. CLi.-^fc. iijAmy, lUclkeann, AacUaad^ Bo«ao« Airet, Houtc \'ideo, Pasta Arena*, East LoaJoa. Oduu 



T«C. 



