g Farmers' Bulletin 1057. 



improving soil fertility, is of distinct benefit in increasing the yield 

 of field crops. An incidental though important advantage of stock 

 raising and dairying will be found in the distribution of the farmer's 

 income throughout the year, enabling him to live on a cash basis. 

 Thus the benefits that will accrue to southern agriculture through 

 exterminating the cattle tick will be far-reaching. 



LIFE HISTORY OF THE TICK. 



To carry out methods of eradication successfully it is necessary to 

 know the life history of the tick and the influence of temperature, 

 moisture, and other climatic conditions on the various stages of its 

 existence. In following the discussion of these matters, the reader 

 is asked to bear in mind that whenever the term " tick " or " cattle 

 tick " or " fever tick " is used it refers to the one species or kind, 

 Margaropus annulatus.^ The fever tick is sometimes confused with 

 a number of other ticks occasionally found on cattle which, so far 

 as concerns the transmission of Texas fever, are entirely harmless 

 to them. Some of these ticks are illustrated in figures 2 and 3, which 

 will help the reader to distinguish between the various kinds. 



Cattle are the usual hosts for the fever tick. ' Frequently, horses, 

 mules, deer, and sometimes even buffaloes and sheep serve as hosts. 

 But none of the latter animals, with the possible exception of deer 

 and buffaloes, are susceptible to tick fever; consequently they suft'or 

 from the tick as a simple parasite and not as a transmitter of dis- 

 ease. So far as deer and animals other than cattle, horses, and mules 

 are concerned no consideration need be given them in practical tick 

 eradication. In the case of horses and mules, however, it is often 

 necessar}^ to treat them the same as cattle. 



The tick spends only a part of its life on the body of the animal ; 

 the rest of the development occurs on the pasture. 



DEVELOPMENT ON THE GROUND. 



In tracing the life history of the cattle tick it is convenient to be- 

 gin with the large, plump, olive-green engorged female tick (figure 

 4), about half an inch in length, attached to- the skin of a cow. Dur- 

 ing the few preceding days she has increased enormously in size, 

 as a consequence of drawing a large sui)ply of blood. 



When fully engorged she drops to the ground and at once, espe- 

 cially if the weather is warm, begins to search for a hiding plac© 

 on moist earth beneath leaves or any other litter which may serve 



11 llUJl.Tll CCIL Ull UV^'i'^tH'il ICCl > to V^I <iny KJUllKjl. liviv^l ..tiivii iiitK^y .j^M. . vy 



iTho reader desiriiiK fuller Infoniinfioii on the life history of tht- ealtle tiek Is referred 

 I Bulletin 72. of the Hureau of h:ntomoloi;.v, and Hulletln 180. Bureau of Animal Indus- 

 ■y, U. S. Department of Aijriciiltiire, whlcli may he ohtained from the Superintendent of 

 oeumeutB, Ooverumeut rrlntiut; Olliee.' WashluK'ton, 1>. C. for 15 and 10 eeuts. rt-spei- 

 vely. 



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