476 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



reservations the results were very highly satisfactory, both as regards 

 the eradication of the cattle tick and the after results of the dipping, 

 since the loss from all causes was less than 0.75 per cent. This loss 

 represented iu dollars and cents would amount to a very small portion 

 (about one-twelfth) of the loss incurred by the sale of these animals 

 as "ticky" cattle in the stock yards of the North. Other cattle 

 dipped in the same oil, but under conditions that can not be con- 

 sidered pai'allel, suffered more severely. In order to obtain the best 

 results, the animals, after dipping, should not be unduly exposed to 

 the hot sun nor driven any considerable distance, but should receive 

 plenty of food and good water. They should be allowed to stand 

 for four or more days after dipping and prior to shipment. Dip- 

 ping should not be attempted until after they shall have shed their 

 winter coats, as a large percentage of all cattle dipped before the 

 heavy coat is lost suffer from a severe irritation of the skin. The 

 method usually adopted in dipping cattle is to construct a narrow 

 swimming tank with a chute at one end for the entrance of the 

 cattle and a sloping exit at the other end where the cattle emerge 

 after getting a uniform coating of oil in passing through the vat. A 

 drip chute, or floor, is connected with the exit where the excess of,oil 

 is allowed to drip off the animals and to drain into the vat. Plans 

 and specifications for installing a dripping plant suitable for either 

 small farms or large ranges are published in Farmers' Bulletin No. 

 152, which may be obtained from this department. It is relatively 

 more expensive to dip cattle in the South, where the farms and plan- 

 tations contain a small number of cattle, than in the range country 

 of the Southwest, where this method of eradicating ticks becomes not 

 only plausible and practicable, but also economical. When cattle 

 have been properly dipped in Beaumont crude petroleum or any other 

 approved petroleum under the supervision of a veterinary inspector 

 and by him found free of infection, they may be shipped to any point 

 above the quarantine line, subject only to such restrictions as may be 

 imposed at the point of destination. Such cattle must be shipped in 

 clean, disinfected cars, and must not be driven through the quaran- 

 tined area or be unloaded therein, except at those points designated 

 by the Secretary of Agriculture. It is earnestly recommended that 

 such shipments shall not occur earlier than four to eight days after 

 the dipping is performed. 



By the "soiliny" method.— This method of freeing cattle of ticks 

 was suggested by Curtice. It is based upon a knowledge of the life 

 history of these parasites. The time required for the female tick to 

 lay eggs and the latter to hatch— in other words, the time spent on 

 the ground— is rarely less than three weeks, and the period required 

 by the seed ticks to molt and mature— or the time spent on the cattle- 

 is usually from twenty to forty-five days. When cattle infested with 

 ticks are to be cleaned for any reason— as, for instance, before being 



