No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 163 



iiil'esl. Tlic disease is not jnnjiaiiuled by direcl conlact between 

 diseased and lieallliy caiile bm only thion-ili tlie a,u,(in'y of tihe tick, 

 as stated. 



The linreaii of Aninia! Industry of the United States Department 

 (d" Agi-iciiliiiii' has esiablislKd a line extendinji; from the eastern 

 to the western coast of tlie Continent, below wliicli the country is 

 known to be perniaiuMitly i^ifested with the soutliern cattle fever tick 

 andi altove w liicili infestation is not known to exist. This line, which 

 is chanjied fiom time to time, is known as the southern cattle fever 

 (piarantine line. It is pro\i(led that shipments of cattle from points 

 south to points north of this line shall take place only in placarded 

 cars; the j)lacards aunouncinp; that the cattle are southern cattle 

 and that the cars are to be disinfected when unloaded. The cattle 

 thus sihipped must be for immediate ^s^lauohter and they are unloaded 

 directly at the slaughter houses and carried through special chutes to 

 yards reserved excUisivel}' for animals of this description. It is only 

 during- a period of a few weeks in mid-winter that it is permitted to 

 bring southern cattle north without restriction. During cold weather 

 the ticks are dormant and they cannot multiply, so that free ship- 

 ments may occur during the cold weather. The open shipping season 

 is defined each year by proclamation of the Secretary of Agriculture. 

 When northern cattle are carried south of the quarantine line they 

 are then regarded as and are subject to the same rules as southern 

 cattle. 



Last wirter, during the Charleston Ex])osition, a special exception 

 was made to the quarantine regulatioji, under which northern cattle 

 were allowed to be sent south to the Exposition and tihen returnedi to 

 the farms of their owners in the northern States. Tliree herds were 

 exhibited fiom Pennsylvania. A few cattle in two of these herds 

 became infested by the southern cattle fever tick, presumably while 

 in the yards of the Oliarleston Exposition. They were thus inocu- 

 lated witili the organism of Texas fever, developed the disease and 

 ]ferished by it while on the way home or after arrival in this State. 

 Fortunately, the trouble occurred during cold weather so tha't 

 there was no danger that the disease might be transmitted to other 

 cattle, and such transmission, as a matter of fact, did not occur. 

 The loss that fell upon Penni'^ylvania exhibitors was serious but not 

 so serious as that Avhich fell on some exhibitors from other States. 



This 0( currence is very instructive in that it shows the value of the 

 I'rotection against Texas fever that is afforded the cattle interests of 

 the T'nited States by Hie well jdanned and effectively administered 

 regulations of the I>ureau of Animal Industry of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture. Were it not for these regulations Texas 

 fevei' would occur everv sumnuM- in T'cMinsylvania, following the im- 



