Sept.  2,  1895.1  THE  TROPIC.'XL  AGRICULTURIST. 
185 
smearing  some  tick-destroying  compound  over  it, 
cannot  be  too  strongly  condemned,  especially  as 
there  is  no  need  for  it  whatsoever.  Cattle  may  be 
handled  with  impunity  if  some  form  of  cattle-bail  is 
employed ; by  this  means  they  may  he  driven  one 
by  one  into  a small  trap,  where  they  can  be  treated. 
But  even  this  is  hardly  necessary  if  the  application 
to  the  skin  is  in  the  liquid  form ; for  with  a 
powerful  spraying  machine,  as  many  as  one  hundred 
cattle  have  been  completely  covered  in  the  space 
of  an  hour. 
Of  pastes  and  powders  and  fluids  recommended 
there  is  no  end ; and  it  will  serve  no  useful  purpose 
to  give  detailed  lists  discussing  the  merits  of  each. 
The  points  to  be  kept  in  view  are  that  the  liquid 
should  be  of  an  oily  and  nou-poisonous  nature, 
capable  of  clogging  up  the  air-pores  of  the  ticks.  It 
shoud  be  cheap,  and  easily  applicable  without  handl- 
ing the  cattle ; it  should,  finally,  not  easily  evapo- 
rate, or  be  washed  off  by  the  rains.  A full  dis- 
cussion of  remedies  has  recently  been  published  by 
me,  the  following  being  taken  from  the  summary  at 
the  end  ; “A  number  of  types  of  washes  for  spraying 
are  selected  for  description.  All  poisonous  ones 
should  be  rejected,  as  there  are  nou-poisonous  pre- 
parations equally  effective.  Carbolic  acid  dips  and 
other  liquids,  which  evaporate  quickly,  need  frequent 
applications,  and  should  be  discarded  in  favour  of 
oily  liquids  or  emulsions  where  the  latter  are  equally 
effective.  The  best  of  all  these  is  the  kerosene  emul- 
sion regularly  used  for  plants.  There  are  many 
formuhe  for  the  preparation  of  this ; a useful  one 
(for  ticks)  is  given.”  The  formula  referred  to  is  as 
follows ; “ In  two  quarts  of  boiling  water  dissolve 
half  a pound  of  soap ; remove  from  fire  ; immediately 
add  one  pint  of  kerosene,  and  agitate.  In  from 
three  to  five  minutes  the  liquid  becomes  creamy.  It 
may  be  stored  in  this  form  in  bottles  or  barrels. 
For  use,  add  three  of  water  to  one  of  emulsion  ; mix 
thoroughly,  and  apply  with  a spraying  pump.’  * 
The  third  and  most  important  class  of  remedies 
is  closely  connected  with  the  nutrition  of  the  animal. 
If  we  can  render  the  skin  or  blood  of  our  cattle  so 
distasteful  to  the  tick  that  the  latter  will  not  at- 
tach itself,  we  have  a solution  of  the  whole  matter. 
We  should  confer  immunity  upon  our  animals,  and, 
at  one  stroke,  do  away  with  the  necessity  of  all  the 
laborious  and  expensive  methods  now  in  vogue  for 
the  destruction  of  these  parasites. 
The  first  step  in  this  direction  has  been  taken ; 
and,  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  most  excellent 
results  are  recorded  from  the  addition  of  small  doses 
of  sulphur  to  the  animal’s  food. 
It  has  already  been  noted  that  the  food  of  animals 
has  an  influence  upon  their  infestation  by  ticks. 
Cases  are  not  uncommon  among  cattle-breeders  whore 
a mere  change  of  pasture  will  cause  all  the  ticks 
to  drop  off.  This  change  is  obviously  felt  through 
the  animal’s  skin. 
It  has  also  been  mentioned  that  the  ticks  seem 
to  congregate  upon  cattle  in  poor  condition,  while 
those  with  sleek  skins  are  more  or  less  untouched. 
Dr.  Cooper  Curtice  (late  of  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  Animal  Industry)  suggests,  as  an  explanation  of 
this,  that  there  is  in  well-fccl  cattle  an  oily  con- 
dition of  the  skin  obnoxious  to  the  ticks;  and  this 
suggestion  is  the  more  worthy  of  consideration  when 
we  remember  the  aversion  of  these  creatures  to 
grease  of  any  kind. 
It  is  certain  that  taken  intenialli/  will  render 
the  skin  evil-smelling,  by  the  exhalation  of  sulphuret- 
ted hydrogen,  a substance  highly  obnoxious  to  all 
parasites.  The  following  seem  to  be  the  physiologi- 
cal changes  which  take  place  during  the  passage  of 
the  sulphur  through  the  animal's  body  'to  the  skin. 
Sulphur  taken  in  with  the  food  pas.ses  the  stomach 
unaltered.  In  the  intestines  a small  portion  is  changed 
into  sulphides  of  hydrogen  and  the  alkalies.  Part 
of  these  sulphides  pass  into  the  blood,  and  into 
the  tissues  from  the  blood,  and  act  chiefly  upon  the 
central  nervou.s  system.  The  sulphides  in  the  tissues 
are  variously  excreted.  By  the  kidneys  they  are 
excreted  as  sulphates ; if  in  excess,  part  is  also  ex- 
*  For  further  details,  see  paxrers  in  Leeward 
Islands  A'jnoultural  Journal,  Nos.  1-3. 
creted  in  the  form  of  sulphides.  By  the  skin  they 
escape  as  sulphides,  giving  the  characteristic  foul 
odour  to  the  perspiration,  and  somewhat  increasing 
its  amount. 
The  doses  of  sulphur  should  bo  small,  but  they 
should  bo  constant.  The  form  in  which  the  medicine 
is  offered  to  the  animals  will  best  be  decided  by  the 
manager  of  the  estate.  With  stall-fed  cattle  there 
can  be  no  difficulty  at  all;  but  with  the  cattle  of 
large  estates,  which  are  seldom  handled  and  some- 
times not  seen  for  long  periods,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  prepare  the  sulphur  with  salt  as  a “ lick,”  to 
which  cattle  will  readily  help  themselves  if  it  is 
scattered  about. 
The  success  of  this  sulphur  treatment  has  so  far 
been  encouraging,  both  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
and  in  the  United  States.  Doubtless  with  continued 
study  other  similiar  preventive  remedies  will  from 
to  time  be  discovered,  and  thus  rid  the  stockowners 
of  the  tropics  of  one  of  their  most  dre  ided  enemies. 
— Nature.  C.  A.  B.^rbeh. 
DRUG  REPORT. 
(From  Chemist  atnd  Druggist.] 
London,  J nly  1 1 
A.nx.vtto.— Seed  realise.s 
good  prices.  Twenty  bag.s  of 
bright  quality  from  Cocunaibi  brought  8;!d  per  Ib.  today 
A 44  bag  parcel  of  good  Madras  seed  is  held  for  4)d  her 
lb.  and  another  lot  of  17  bags  was  bought  in  at  the 
same  price. 
Arecanuts.— .Still  tending  downwards.  Two  packa'W's 
of  fair  quality  from  Ceylon  sold  today  at  10s  Od  per  ewt" 
Caki-'Ei.nk.— Easier.  The  market  has  (piieted  down  con- 
siderably, and  altliough  27s  Od  is  still  asked  on  the  spot 
it  is  by  no  means  easy  to  sell  at  that  price.  For  Octolier 
delivery  the  quotation  is  22s  to  23s  per  lb. 
Camphor  (Crude)  has  been  quiet  all  through  the  week 
but  this  afternoon  the  syndicate  buvers  again  appeared 
upon  the  market  and  purchased  100  piculs  of  Formosa 
camphor  at  1.57s  Od  per  cwt.  c.i.f.,  near  at  hand,  thereby 
imparting  a firmer  tone  to  the  drug.  At  auction  o>  ca.ses 
of  Formosa  Ccinphor  (1893  import)  were  bought  in  at  165s 
per  cwt.  Minety-four  tubs  of  .Japanese  camphor  (1890  iin- 
port)  were  also  offered  and  bought  in  at  170s  per  cwt 
which  seems  to  be  the  lowest  price.  A bid  of  Ki7s  uri 
per  cwt  was  refused. 
Coca  Leaves.— From  lOd  to  lid  per  lb  is  asked  for  fiir 
green  broken  Truxillo  : a bid  of  9d  per  lb.  however  is 
be  submitted.  ’ 
Kola. -Tending  easier.  At  the  auctions  several  nareels 
were  bought  111  at  is  per  lb.,  for  fair  partly  dama-ed  seed 
and  1 bag  of  fair  West  Indian  kola  realised  llAd  per  nr 
Oils  (Esse.nti.vl). — At  today’s  auctions  several  parcels  of 
essential  oils  were  offered,  but  the  bulk  wasC  as  u-^ir 
bought  m.  Of  Cinnamon  oil  S cases  offered  vVithoip’  re 
serve,  and  realised,  respectively  Od  and  3d  per  oz  “Fib- 
quality  was  bought  in  at  Is  per  oz.  ' 
OuiNlNE.  — A dead  letter.  Mo  business  has  been  renorleil 
this  week.  For  second-hand  Oerman  bulk  12§d  per^oz  is 
Kiif  lOl/l  1.  , ® is 
nominally  asked,  but  12^d  would  probably  buy 
Vanilla.- At  today’s  auctions  a small  suiiply  .sold  at 
fuM  price.s:— Fine  cottony,  < to  8 inches,  J9s  Od  to  -Ws  • -u 
to  5^  inches,  16s  to  17s  6d  ; brownish,  14s  to  17s  6d  "per  lb. 
Work  on  the  Palleoama  Grant.-BL-.  Russell  Cox 
who  has  lately  taken  over  charge  of  Pallegama  from 
Mr.  Ross  Wright,  was  in  Colombo  to  day  on  business 
and  WG  learn  that  considerable  progress  has  been  inado 
with  the  new  clearing  on  Pallegama.  On  the  old 
clearing  some  300  acres,  abutting  011  the  road  from 
lallegama  to  Lalande,  were  opened,  and  now  the 
block  that  is  being  cleared  is  the  corresponding 
stretch  down  the  banks  of  the  Kaluganga — about  210 
acres.  Felling  is  going  on,  and  it  is  expected 
that  the  1 urn-off  will  take  place  at  the  end  of  tim 
current  month.  When  that  is  done  the  lower  part 
of  the  grant  will  have  been  completely  encircled  • it 
will  then  be  roadod  ; and,  from  that  point,  the  'ron 
cessionairc.f  will  work  inwards,  making  roads  on  the 
\yatch-sprnig  pattern  till  tlicy  get  to  the  centre  of 
their  land,  wlicn  they  will  make  a straight  road 
cutting  through  all  the  others  to  the  lower  end  of 
the  grant.  The  weather  at  I’allegama  is  very  liot 
now  ; hut  the  healtliof  the  place  is  good,  and  there 
IS  little  trouble  about  labour.  All  the  settlers  outlie 
land  are  doing  well,  and  there  is  no  lack  of  applicaut.s 
for  settlement. 
