36 THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 



The results of this experiment show that it is possible for farm- 

 ers to grow alfalfa profitably on the Kirkland clay hardpan type of 

 soil in this state. In the central portion of the state at least 50% of 

 the well-lying cultivable land is of this type of soil. Alfalfa is con- 

 sidered one of the most profitable crops in the state and this should 

 make it possible for many farmers to increase their profits in 

 tlie farm and grow more livestock. 



XIX. SOME NOTES ON THE PARASITE FAUNA OF 



OKLAHOMA 



John E. Guberlet. 



Parasitol'jgist, Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 Stillwater. 



The study of parasites has been very limited in Oklahoma. 

 .'Vside from a few scattered records practically no work has been 

 carried on v.'ith our parasite fauna. For that reason this p£tper is 

 an appeal for more observers and more interest in this field of 

 work, — that of medical zoology. We are situated geographically 

 so that we aie on the dividing line, so to speak, between the north 

 and the south, wliere the two faunas overlap thus making interest- 

 ing fields from the standpoint of ecology, distriljution and taxo- 

 nomy. 



The importance of diseases due to animal parasites is not gen- 

 erally appreciated. This is largely due to the fact that these 

 diseases and their parasites are not thoroughly understood. People 

 in general are more or less familiar with diseases due to bacteria. 

 They tmderstand that bacteria are small and that special apparatus 

 is necessry for their detection. Such terms as bacteria., germs, mi- 

 crobes, and infections are almost by-words with some of us and 

 we speak of them whether we know whereof we speak or not. We 

 know they exist and consequently are on our guard against them. 

 No such understanding exists in the case of the worm parasites. 

 These intruders do not thrust themselves upon the attention of 

 the casual observer, therefore, it is more or less assumed that 

 parasites are comparatively rare and of interest only to a specialist. 

 or to persons far removed from us geographically. As a matter 

 of fact, parasites which are comparativeh' common and large enough 

 to be readily seen maj^ easily be overlooked. 



One reason v/hy people in this country fail to understand the 

 nature and importance of parasitism is that there are so few stu- 

 dents of the subject in the United States. There are very few 

 American specialists in this field and coupled with that fact is the 

 additional one that our physicians and veterinarians pay less at- 



