6 THE CATTLE TICK CAN BE DESTROYED 



5. The prevention of Southern breeders from exhibiting their stock 

 in the North. 



6. Tlie decreased price that Southern cattle bring on the market 

 on account of the restrictions placed upon them. 



7. The considerable expense incurred each year bj' the Federal 

 Government 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 argu- 

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



The South needs more and better live stock and a larger and 

 better dairy industry, and these objects would be greatly promoted 

 by the destruction of the tick. Furthermore, the increased production 

 of live stock, by reason of its important bearing in maintaining and 

 improving the fertility of the soil, would be of distinct benefit in in- 

 creasing the yield of field crops. An incidental though important 

 advantage of stock raising and dairying would be found in the dis- 

 tribution of the farmer's income throughout tlie year, enabling him to 

 live on a cash basis. It can thus be seen that the benefits which 

 would accrue to Southern agriculture from the extermination of the 

 cattle tick would be very great and far-reaching. 



Life History of the Tick 



Before methods of eradication can be carried out intelligently 

 and successfully, it is necessary to know the life history of the tick, 

 and the influence of temperature, moisture, and other climatic condi- 

 tions on the various stages of its existence. These matters will there- 

 fore be taken up first, it being iniderstood that whenever the term 

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



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

 ever, 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. 



Only a part of the development of the tick takes place on the host; 

 the rest of the development occurs on the pasture occupied by the 

 host. 



Development on the Ground 



In tracing the life history of the cattle tick it will be convenient 

 to begin with the large, plump, olive-green female tick, somewhat 

 more than half an inch in length, attached to the skin of the host. 

 During the few preceding days she has increased enormously in size 

 as a consequence of drawing a large supply of blood. 



