TEXAS CATTLE FEVER. 



THE TEXAS-FEVER TICK AND METHODS OF EXTERMINATING IT. 



T LIFE HISTORY OP THE TICK. II. DEVELOPMENT ON THE GROUND. 



III HOW TO FREE CATTLE OF TICKS. IV. PICKING OR BRUSHING 



TICKS OFF CATTLE. V. SMEARING OR SPRAYING CATTLE WITH A 



DISINFECTING SOLUTION. 



The more important losses for which the tick is responsible are as 



follows : 



1. Deaths from tick fever among native cattle and purebred cattle im- 

 ported irom the North for breeding purposes. 



2. Deaths of cattle north of the quarantine line from fever followmg 

 the occasional accidental introduction of the tick. 



3. The temporary and permanent arrest of growth and development 

 resulting from attacks of the fever. 



4. The decrease in weight and the lessened rate in puttnig on flesh 

 in the ca.se of beef cattle, and the decrease in the amount of milk produced 

 by dairy cattle, as the result of the irritation and loss of blood occasioned 

 by great numbers of ticks. 



5. The prevention of southern breeders from exhibiting their stock 



in the North. 



6. The decreased price that southern cattle bring on the market on 

 account of the restrictions placed upon them. 



7. The considerable expense incurred each year by the Federal Gov- 

 ernment and the infested States in establishing quarantine lines and in 

 enforcing regulations to prevent the spread of Texas fever. 



Various writers have estimated the annual loss due to the tick at from 

 $40,000,000 to $100,000,000. These figures should be ample argument, 

 even to the most conservative, for the eradication of the tick. 



I. Life History of the Tick. 



Before methods of eradication can be carried out intelligently and suc- 

 cessfully, it is necessary to know the life history of the tick, and the in- 

 fluence of temperature, moisture, and other climatic conditions on the 

 various stages of its existence. 



The usual host for this tick is the cow or ox. Frequently, however, 

 horses, mules, deer, and sometimes even sheep serve as hosts. But none 

 of these latter animals, with the possible exception of deer, are susceptible 

 to tick fever, consequently they suffer from the tick as a simple parasite 

 and not as a transmitter of disease, although they must be considered in 

 plans for eradication. 



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