GUAM AGEICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 17 



CATTLE. 



On December 19, 1911, sometliing over two months after the 

 arrival of the stock, the older Ayrshhe bull, Willowmoor Moonstone 

 13466, died from what was believed to be Texas or tick fever.^ The 

 diseased condition of the bull was fii-st noted six days prior to the 

 date of his death and the symptoms, mcluding a distinctly blood- 

 stained condition of the urine, were characteristic of the disease just 

 mentioned. The remaining animals were immediately clij)2)ed with 

 a horse-clipping machine and all were found to be infested with 

 minute ticks so small as to escape detection under an ordinary heavy 

 coat of hair. Native cattle had occasionally gained access to the 

 grounds and it was discovered that not only the pastures but also 

 the grass plats which furnished soiling grass for the stock were badly 

 infested with ticks. A careful daily examination of each individual 

 animal was thereafter made, and when ticks were present these 

 were removed by hand picking. In view of the loss of the bull 

 Willowmoor Moonstone the general infestation of the premises with 

 ticks caused considerable anxiety and it was planned to attempt the 

 immunization of the remaining animals with blood from the native 

 stock. Unless, however, these animals could be kept in a state of 

 absolute cleanliness from ticks for a period of 10 or 12 days prior to 

 inoculation, this course was considered too dangerous, and as we 

 were compelled to depend upon station-grown grass for forage this 

 was found impossible. The plan of inoculation was therefore aban- 

 doned and hand picking the ticks was continued. After about four 

 months of these precautionaiy measures it was believed that the 

 stock had acquired natural immunity and less care was exercised 

 toward keepmg them clean of ticks. 



Daily temperatures of the cattle were also taken dating from the 

 death of the bull, to which attention has already been called, m order 

 to detect the first indications of disease should it develop in any of 

 them. From December 22, 1911, to the close of the fiscal year these 

 temperatures have been recorded and these records furnish inter- 

 esting data for study. Periods of abnormally high temperatures 

 have been observed in each of the various animals. Some of these 

 high temperatures at least can not be attributed to reactions caused 

 by tick infestation. The writer has had opportunity to note the ill 



1 Mention should be made here that before the introduction of these animals was undertaken, island 

 conditions, and especially in so far as they applied to the presence or absence of contagious or infectious 

 diseases, were carefully considered. The presence of both Texas cattle tick ( Margaropus annulatus) and 

 the Australian cattle tick ( ^f. australh) was previously determined by collections made by this station 

 and identified by Dr. Charles S. Banks, entomologist of the Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I. \\'hether the 

 protozoan which is the direct cause of the disease was present or not could not be definitely determined, 

 and work conducted by the United States naval hospital to that end failed to disclose its presence. In the 

 light of these uncertainties, it was considered inadvisable to risk the introduction of the Texas-fever organism 

 by the purchase of immime cattle, and thus imperil the present cattle-raising industry of the Lsland. 



