— 20 — 



you to-day were obtained from cattle at the Bame station from which 

 J. L. Heath shipped the two hundred and ninety head of cattle that 

 were unloaded at Hymer about June 8th, where they were put into the 

 Berry pasture, and remained about two weeks. Mr. Hugh McGee, the 

 foreman of this ranch at Los Flores, tells me that there were ticks on 

 these cattle when unloaded." 



December 22, 1894, Mr. Hill wrote: 



" I send, under wooden cover, a sample of ticks gathered from cattle 

 on the Santa Margarita ranch, controlled by Richard O'Xeil, who lives 

 near Oceanside, California. I hope they will arrive at their destination 

 in fairly good condition. This country, all along the coast, in the 

 mountain foothills, covered with small brush, is infested with these 

 ticks. Cattle are covered with them, and about twice a rear the ranch 

 people clean these ticks from their cattle with currycombs, and then use 

 crude petroleum on the cattle. I have also sent samples to Albert Dean, 

 Kansas City, Missouri. I think all the cattle ranches between Los 

 Angeles and San Diego are infested with these ticks. North of Los 

 Angeles I will investigate a little later. If any cattle are brought from 

 high altitudes to the coast, a large per cent of them die." 



The ticks sent by Mr. Hill were carefully examined at the laboratory 

 of this Bureau, and identified as the Boophilus bovis, or Texas fever 

 ticks. 



On December 25, Mr. Hill made the following statement: 



" When I wrote you the 23d, I thought that I would not send you any 

 more ticks gathered in this section; but yesterday I went out on the 

 Cuyamaca Railroad to Lakeside Station, in El Cajon Valley, twenty- 

 two miles from the ocean, and in the interior among the small mount- 

 ains and foothills. Here I found plenty of ticks, and gathered another 

 supply. I know of no way to dispose of them but to send them to you. 

 I never saw as many ticks on Texas cattle as I have seen on the cattle 

 here. It seems to me that I have sent yon enough to satisfy any rea- 

 sonable man that the cattle here are all infectious, and are capable 

 (through the tick) of giving the Texas fever to susceptible cattle. One 

 thing the cattlemen of this section have learned by experience, viz.: 

 thai when they bring cattle from the high ranges down to the ocean 

 ranges, or take those from the low to the high ranges, the high-range 

 cattle take sick, and a Large per cent of them die, while the low-range 

 cattle remain healthy. They do not understand why this i< so, or what 

 the tick has to do with it, further than to drain the system of blood. 



They have quil making such transfers, ami therefore the cattle have had 

 no contagious disease among them this season. 



* * * * *- * *- 



"This one thing all cattlemen agree upon: that when cattle from 

 Arizona or other high altitudes (having no ticks) are brought to the 

 coast ranges at a low altitude, and are put with tattle having ticks, the 

 high-altitude cattle invariably take sick ami die. They explain their 



appearance, when siek, as follows: Ears Lopped down, hair rough, eyes 



having a staring look, Hanks drawn up, head drooping, animal- move 

 slowly when aroused, and void Moody urine, and when examined after 



