BY T, HARVEY JOHNSTON AND M. J. BANCROFT. 247 



On December 10th, 1915, these cows were inspected 

 at Messrs. Butcher and Rex's farm by Mr. A. J. Jones, 

 M.L.A., Mr. Dvmock, Mr. Page, M.H.R., and Mr. H. A. 

 Jones, Secretary' of the ShoAv Societ}^ of Maryborough. 

 Mr. A. J. Jones (R.S.C., 1915, p. 69) reported that Tinkerbell 

 was heavily infested with fulty-matured ticks. Both Mr. 

 Butcher and Mr. Rex stated the cows had not been dipped 

 -during the seven months they were under observation. 

 Mr. Butcher is also reported to have said that Tinkerbell 

 had not matured ticks until that week. Mr. Jones reported 

 that "■ Clover was as clean as a table."" He searched her 

 very carefulh' and could find no ticks on her. He noticed 

 that a yellow substance had been exuding from her skin. 

 " Her skin was lovel}'. She was in good condition and 

 olean." (Jones, R.S.C., 1915, p. 69). 



There seems to have been some misunderstanding about 

 the names of these cows We have received the following 

 note from Mr. Butcher re Clover :■ — " This cow we had from 

 the Agricultural Department. She carried a few ticks 

 while in good condition but she was an old cow and got 

 fairly poor and became a living mass of ticks and died." 

 This was during the 1915 drought. 



Of Tinkerbell, Mr. Butcher wrote :— ■ Tinkerbell I 

 failed to ever find a tick on, although we were milking her 

 twice a da}.' We communicated again with Mr. Butcher 

 pointing out this apparent contradiction. His reply was 

 to the effect that he and Mr. Rex had confused the names" 

 and had given them to Mr. Jones wrongly, so that Clover 

 must be substituted for Tinkerbell and vice versa in all his 

 (Mr. Jones") statements. 



Tinkerl^ell was su])sequently returned to Yeerongpilly. 



Two heifers, aged 27^ years and 6 months, the progeny 

 ■of Clover and Tinkerbell respectively, were reported to be 

 maturing ticks on artificial infestation (Thorn, R.S.C., 

 1915, p. 28). Clover's heifer was kept in a stall for obser- 

 vation and artificially infested (Pound, R.S.C., 1915, p. 28). 



The evidence given above is sufficient to justify the 

 statement that under conditions of ordinary natural infesta- 

 tion, these cattle did not mature ticks in sufficient numbers 

 to require any treatment to prevent tick worry. 



