PROGRESSIVE BEEF CATTLE RAISING 



and let it dissolve. In four, five or six hours later another 

 tablet is put in the same eye. If the animal has tuber- 

 culosis the water runs from the eye very freely and in a 

 short time this water changes into pus. The discharge 

 continues for a few hours, after which the eye clears up 

 and returns to its former condition. The tail or intra- 

 dermal test consists of the injection of a drop of tuber- 

 culin into the fold on the under part of the tail near the 

 root. This injection is made into the skin but not 

 through it. If the animal is affected with tuberculosis 

 a round swelling, ranging from three-eighths inch to an 

 inch in diameter will appear in about 72 hours. If no 

 swelling appears the animal is free of the disease. Treat- 

 ment is unsatisfactory and the only practicable method 

 known is the preventive one which removes all infected 

 animals and utilizes sanitary methods. In 1921 at 10 

 Armour plants there were 4,728 cattle retained by the 

 Government for further inspection because of suspected 

 tuberculosis. Of this number, 76.48 percent were con- 

 demned as inedible. In 1920 there were 6,577 cattle 

 retained at these same 10 plants, of which 76.73 percent 

 were condemned as inedible. 



TEXAS FEVER TICK. Only a few years ago this pest 

 was prevalent throughout the southern states, but is 

 being rapidly eradicated by means of the quarantine. 

 In early 1922 there were only 206,015 square miles of terri- 

 tory under quarantine as compared with 735,768 square 

 miles placed under quarantine at the time of the establish- 

 ment of the Texas fever quarantine line in i8qi. The ill 

 effects of the tick come through the injury to the cattle in 

 sucking their blood and infecting them with the germs 

 of a disease that results in high fever and occasionally 

 death. The vitality of most infected animals is so low 

 that they are not profitable to handle. The most suc- 

 cessful means of getting rid of the tick is by periodic 

 dipping. 



Page Forty-three 



