PRACTICAL CONTROL OR ERADICATION. 35 
Moreover, in the Bitter Hoot Valley eradication would not suffer 
the drawbacks connected with the ownership of large bodies of land 
by single persons which have attended similar work that has been 
undertaken in other parts of the country. The total number of 
farms in Ravalli County, as given in the census of 1900. was 891; 
their average size 199.4 acres. In Missoula County the same authority 
gives 615 farms of an average size of 241.6 acres. 
An additional advantage will be found in the large proportion of 
farms in the county which are operated by their owners. Very 
little difficulty on account of nonresident ownership is to be expected. 
In Ravalli County 77 per cent of the farms are operated by the 
owners, and in Missoula County 89. 
Aside from the specific factors which would operate to facilitate 
eradication of the spotted fever tick, others of a general nature may 
be mentioned, namely, the small size of the valley and its practical 
inclosure by high mountains, and the public interest in eradication 
which has already arisen. The Bitter Root Valley lies between high 
ranges of mountains over which there is practically no travel. The 
upper end of the valley is also closed by high mountains over which 
a very inconsiderable amount of traffic take- place. The lower end 
is narrowed almost to a gorge. Practically all the traffic into or out 
of the valley goes through this narrow opening at the northern end. 
The lay of the land gives an isolated region into which infection 
from the outside would be very unlikely to take place. For all 
practical purposes the guarding of the lower end for a portion of 
the year would be sufficient to prevent reinfection in case eradication 
is undertaken. The soil of the Bitter Root Valley has been found 
to be exceedingly fertile and especially adapted to certain profitable 
crops. It is recognized by all intelligent residents that the principal 
obstacle to the rapid development which has already begun is the 
occurrence of spotted fever. There is consequently a firmly em- 
bedded popular opinion that the destiny of the valley demands the 
eradication of the fever tick. 
We may summarize the more important facts and conditions which 
would facilitate eradication of the fever tick as follow-: 
(1) Practical restriction of the adult stage o( the tick to the 
larger domestic animals. 
(2) The short season in the spring over which it would be neces- 
sary to carry on the principal work of eradication. 
(3) The small number of animals that would have to be treated. 
(4) The small size of the farm-. 
(5) The preponderance of resident farm owners. 
(6) The isolation of the valley and the existence o{ effective 
natural barriers against reinfe>tation. 
(7) A commendable public opinion in favor of removing an im- 
portant obstacle to development 
