BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



109 



ERADICATION OF SOUTHERN CATTLE TICKS. 



Areas aggregating 67,308 square miles, as sho^\^l by the following 

 table, having been freed of ticks, were released from quarantine 

 during the fiscal year. The total area released since the beginning 

 of this work in 1906 amounts to 379,312 square miles, which is more 

 than 52 per cent of the originally infected area. The work is also far 

 advanced in a large additional territory. 



Areas released from quarantine as a result of eradicating cattle tides. 



State. 



Alabama.. 

 Arkansas.. 

 Florida... 

 Georgia . . . 

 Louisiana. 

 Mississippi 



Square 

 miles. 



9, 859 

 13, 305 

 1,100 

 5, 559 

 5, 883 

 15,358 



State. 



North Carolina 



Olclahoma 



Texas 



Virginia 



Total.... 



Square 

 miles. 



1,079 



3,240 



11,835 



90 



67,308 



During the year 34,927,959 inspections or dippings were made 

 of cattle for the eradication of ticks, r.s against 24,390 721 in the pre- 

 ceding year. There were in operation 26,470 cattle-dipping vats 

 where cattle were dipped under Federal or State supervision to rid 

 them of ticks. 



A great deal of advance work pertaining to the construction of dip- 

 ping vats and preparing counties and localities for taking up regu- 

 latory tick-eradication activities in the near future was conducted in 

 an effort to get proper organization in such localities, and there are 

 indications tliat during the next fiscal year systematic dipping will 

 be taken up in greatly increased area. Very effectual cooperation 

 has come from transportation companies, commercial clubs, bankers, 

 and other business men who are far-sighted enough to realize that the 

 eradication of the cattle tick and the subsecjuent development of the 

 live-stock industry means an increase of business for all concerned. 



The work accomplished in tick eradication in the last year makes 

 available 86 counties and 37 parts of counties into which better bred 

 cattle from tick-free States may be taken without danger of loss from 

 tick fever. A consequent increase in meat and dairy products may 

 be expected. In addition the hides of all cattle will be improved in 

 grade to a degree which will render them 20 to 50 per cent more 

 valuable. 



SHIPMENTS FROM QUARANTINED AREAS. 



The number of cattle of the quarantined area shipped to market 

 " centers for immediate slaughter was 3,015,875, which is a consider- 

 able increase over the preceding year and was brought about by 

 local conditions such as drought which required the immediate mar- 

 keting of many cattle. Then, too, there has been manifested by 

 many cattle owners in tick-eradication localities a disposition to 

 ship for slaughter as many unprofitable cattle as possible in prefer- 

 ence to dippmg them. This was done with the view of procuring, 

 after ticks are eradicated, better-bred animals likely to be more 

 profitable for breeding purposes. "Dipped ticky cattle'^ to the 



