252 JOURNAL OP THE TRINIDAD 



THE MEANS OF FREEING CATTLE OF TICKS. 



By C. A. Barber, M.A., F.L.S. 



(Continued from our last.) 



As stated in a bulletin of the Lousiana Experimental 

 Station, 100 cattle can be thoroughly cleansed by a knap-sack 

 sprayer (i. e. one borne upon the back of the operator) in one 

 hour. There surely will be no difficulty in arranging matters so 

 that the animals may be driven one by one through a narrow 

 enclosure where the} 7 can be reached by this powerful machine. 



But the method obviously requires that the substance to be 

 applied, in order to penetrate to the skin, shall be in a liquid form. 

 Have we washes which will effectually destroy the parasitic 

 animal life upon our cattle without injuring their delicate skins? 

 To this query an unhesitating affirmative can at once be given. 



What are the solutions which are thus effective ? The 

 difficulty ti-uly is to select from among them, so many are they, 

 and so well authenticated are the results of their application. To 

 the following washes and emulsions it may be at once noted that 

 many of them are equally applicable to the different animals of 

 our estates, and also may be successfully used against almost all 

 the pests attacking them externally. But prominence is through- 

 out given to such as are applicable to destroying ticks upon cattle. 



Mr. H. Goodwin, M.R.C.V.S., who has had much experi- 

 experience with Antigua cattle, and has besides carefully studied 

 and written upon the local ticks, has favoured me with the 

 following recipes. I quote Mr. Goodwin's letter in full, as it 

 will be of especial value. 



"The following prescriptions have given me every satisfac- 

 tion : one or two I value more than the others as you will see from 

 the following : 



"Raw tar 10 oz., Linseed oil 20 oz., Kerosine oil 80 oz., 

 Sulphur 1 oz. This is good. Jeye's fluid 5 oz., water 40 oz. 

 (better). Augean fluid 10 oz., water 100 oz. (best and cheapest). 

 The Augean fluid is a safe, efficacious and cheap disinfectant 

 and antiseptic preparation. It emulsifies with water in any 

 proportion For the common tick (Rhipicephalus concinna) 

 you will find 10 parts in 100 of water act satisfactorily, but for 

 the St. Kitts tick (Hyalomma venustuitt) it will be necessary to 

 make it a little stronger. However sensitive the skin may be 

 there is no danger of its blistering it. As a healing agent I 

 find it second to none." 



With the exception of the first, all these could be readily 

 applied by means of a force pump, similar to those used for 

 spraying plants. There should of course be sufficient force used 

 thoroughly to penetrate to the animal's skin, but this would be 

 an easy matter. 



