230 



a:mnual, reports of depaetmekt of agriculture. 



TICK ERADICATION. 



The number of cattle inspected or dipped for the eradication of 

 ticks, under the supervision of the cooperating forces, was greater 

 than in any previous year, amounting to 74,937,657 inspections or 

 dippings as compared with 48,089,005 in the fiscal year 1922, More 

 than 31,000 dipping vats were used in the official dipping of cattle. 

 Ten counties in Georgia were released from Federal quarantine. 



In deciding on the release of territory from Federal quarantine 

 in the past it has not been the policy to require that the area be en- 

 tirely free of ticks. Many counties where a large majority of cattle 

 and premises were tick free have been released under an agi^eement 

 on the part of the State and county authorities to control and eradi- 

 cate the remaining infestation. During the past year special atten- 

 tion was given by bureau inspectors to this final work in the released 

 area with the view of completely eradicating the ticks from that area, 

 and satisfactory results have been obtained in the main. In a few 

 instances, however, it was found that following the release from 

 Federal quarantine the local interest in completing the work had 

 become so indifferent that instead of the remaining infestation being 

 controlled and eradicated it had been permitted to spread. This 

 condition made necessary the requarantine of 30 counties and 5 parts 

 of counties in 5 States. 



The following table shows the progress made in the 17 years since 

 tick eradication was undertaken and the status of the work at the 

 close of the fiscal year 1923. As the county is the customary unit in 

 which the work is conducted, that unit is used in compiling the data : 



Progress of tick eradication since 



June 



the beginning and status of the work 

 30, 1923. 



It will be observed from the tabulation that while more than two- 

 thirds of the counties which were tick infested have been released, 

 less than half of the counties included in the original quarantine in 

 1906 can now be considered absolutely tick free, and that there are 

 274 counties released from Federal quarantine in which tick infesta- 

 tion still exists in one or more herds. The elimination of the last 

 trace of infection in a county is frequently attended with considerable 

 difficulty. In such areas the closest possible supervision must be given 



