No. 4.] REPORT OF CATTLE BUREAU. 359 



Bridge tTune 21. These came from Kansas City, and were 

 consigned to A. Davis at the Brighton abattoir. Mr. Davis 

 has informed the Chief of the Cattle Bureau that cattle ticks 

 Avere found upon these animals consigned to him at the time 

 of slaughter. The time from June 21 to July 7 is rather 

 short for the eggs of old ticks to hatch so that the young 

 ones could infect northern cattle ; but this is the only car 

 of which there is a record at the suspension bridge stock 

 yards which contained quarantined cattle, although the rec- 

 ords at these yards seem to have been not very carefully 

 kept, and it is possible that there may have been other 

 southern cattle there prior to June 21. As the weather 

 from June 21 to July 7 was the Avarmest that prevailed at 

 any time during the past summer, it is barel}^ possible that 

 tick eggs might have hatched in the space of time between 

 June 21 and July 7. 



In order to infect northern cattle, it is necessary for the 

 mature female tick to drop from an animal from a Texas 

 fever district and lay eggs, and for the eggs to hatch, the 

 young ticks crawling onto the legs of northern cattle and 

 infectino^ them. The cattle at jVIr. Bias's all had cattle ticks 

 on them. When first seen, the ticks were so small that it 

 was difficult to find them, but after a couple of weeks they 

 attained quite a good size. Owing to the care taken to re- 

 move and bury the dead animals and disinfect the ground 

 Avhere they laid, and also to quarantine all those found at 

 the places where they were, the outbreak was confined to 

 the original carload. The only cattle that did not die were 

 at Mr. Sias's place at Wellesley ; and he was not allowed to 

 sell any from his premises or introduce any new cattle upon 

 them until the weather w^as cold enough to kill any young 

 ticks, if any were hatched from eggs laid there. 



It seems unfortunate that IMr. Sias has not been able to 

 recover from any railroad company for the loss of his cattle, 

 as they must have been infected as the result of violation of 

 the rules of the United States Department of Agriculture ; 

 and where a man loses animals through the fault of others, 

 it seems only just that he should Imve some redress. 



