Southern Cattle Tick 339 



Ticks are very resistant to efforts made to destroy 

 them ; it is with difficulty that they can be killed with- 

 out injuring the animal to which they are attached. 



The most effective treatment is to dip the cattle 

 every fourteen days in an arsenical dip, made as follows: 



Sodium carbonate (sal soda) 24 pounds 



Arsenic trioxid (white arsenic) 8 pounds 



Pine tar 1 gallon 



Water sufficient to make 500 gallons. 



To prepare the dip, place 30 to 40 gallons of water 

 in a cauldron or tank and bring to a boil. Add the 

 sodium carbonate and dissolve by stirring, then add the 

 arsenic and dissolve in the same manner. Draw the 

 fire and add the pine tar in a thin stream, and stir well 

 at the same time. This strong dip should be diluted 

 to 500 gallons before using. 



Cattle should not be driven far or exercised violently 

 just before dipping, nor for a week afterward. They 

 should be watered just before dipping. After dipping, 

 they should stand and drain where the dip will run back 

 into the vat, and not poison grass or collect in pools 

 where animals may drink it. Remember, this dip is 

 poisonous when taken internally. This dip can be 

 applied with a spray pump, or, where only a few are to 

 be treated, washed by hand. 



It should be remembered that the cattle get ticks from 

 infested pastures, and that to prevent their having ticks 

 or becoming reinfested after dipping, they should be 

 kept from such pastures. The discussion of the Texas 

 cattle fever itself will be found in Chapter XVI. 



