10 Crop Pest Commission of 



CATTLE TICK ERADICATION. 



Among the many pests that we have to contend with in Lou- 

 isiana, there is none that is causing such heavy losses as thu 

 cattle tick. In several localities in the State the ticks are so 

 abundant that the raising of cattle has been almost entirely 

 abandoned. The tick has few if any natural enemies to hold it 

 in control, and the agricultural methods employed have resulted 

 in a yearly increase in the number of ticks. 



Unless eradicated, the ticks will continue their rate of in- 

 crease for years to come, until presently the production of beef 

 and dairy cattle in Louisiana will be an absolute impossibility. 

 There has been a remarkable awakening of the Louisiana agri- 

 culturists during the past few months to the importance of 

 ^'radicating the tick completely. We are receiving letters on 

 the subject from cattlemen and farmers all over the State, and 

 many individual farmers have already commenced the work of 

 eradicating the tick on their premises. 



As a result of the appropriation of $150,000 by the last 

 Congress for the purpose of assisting the Southern States to 

 eradicate the tick, we have been proffered oxLensive b.li in this 

 work by the Bureau of Animal Industry of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture. '.e of the condlt'Oij'? under which 

 this aid is offered is that the State oC Louisiaim must herself 

 devote men and money to this work. No specific apprupriat'on 

 having been made for this work by the Legislature, we can secure 

 this Federal aid, amounting probably to $10,000 or $12,000, only 

 by using a part of the Experiment Station and Crop Pest Com- 

 mission funds for the work. With the approval of the Governor 

 and Active , Chairman of the Commission, your Secretary has 

 made provisional arrangements for commencing this work im- 

 P'ediately in co-operation with the Bureau of Animal Industry. 

 It is proposed during the coming week to send Mr. C. W. Flynn. 

 of the Commission staff, in company with Dr. Walter Sorrell, of 

 the Bureau of Animal Industry, to several different localities of 

 the State to determine in which parish the work of eradicating 

 the tick can be undertaken to best advantage. Immediately fol- 

 lowing the reports of these gentlemen some one parish will be 

 selected and work commenced by placing experts and local in- 



