EFFECTS OF TICK ERADICATION. 13 
ing up the soil to a high state of fertility. Two large draft mares 
replaced four medium-sized mules at the disk harrows and other 
machinery. Everything is done in a progressive, businesslike way. 
and the farm stands out as a shining mark of progress and a good 
example for others to follow. While things can not be done on the 
small farm in the same way as they can on this large one, neverthe- 
less this place is an outstanding example of what may be accom- 
plished on thousands of farms all over the South with respect to 
eradicating the cattle tick, improving the pastures, building up the 
soil, growing plenty of forage crops, raising good stock, and having 
farm buildings and a home of which one may be proud. 
The manager, Mr. Dan S. Combs, made the following statement : 
Tennessee can produce just as good cattle or other forms of live stock as any 
State if the people will first get rid of the ticks, improve their pastures, build up 
their soils, and use the same care in raising their stock as do the farmers in 
other sections of the country where good cattle are produced. 
We have a magnificent herd of cattle, which will compare well with any 
herd, and we can produce them cheaper here than can be done in the North. 
There is no trouble in selling our breeding stock at good prices, and many of 
the young bulls are going into those counties in Mississippi and Alabama where 
tick eradication work is being conducted. 
There is a great opportunity in the South for the stockman and farmer, and 
the number of good bulls which are sold in counties where eradication work 
is being carried on are bound to leave their impression on the cattle of those 
sections. 
A visit was made to the farm of Mr. J. M. Aldrich. of Michigan 
City, Benton County, Miss. The story of his work is given here : 
My place consists of 1.400 acres of land, which was formerly an old. worn-out 
cotton plantation. The land was so poor when I bought it that but two bales 
of cotton and 40 bushels of corn were produced on it the previous year, the 
remainder of the land being considered too poor to cultivate. This place was 
free of ticks until about 10 or 12 years ago. I was a cattle buyer and brought 
in cattle from various counties surrounding Benton, and, finally, shipped in 
some cattle from central Mississippi. These cattle were covered with ticks, 
but nothing was thought of it. In about two or three weeks some of my cattle 
began dying very suddenly, three being found dead near the center of the 
pasture one morning. At first I thought someone had given them poison. 
Some of the sick ones were brought to the barn, fed and doctored, but most of 
those which became sick died. I noticed also that none of the cattle which 
I shipped in died, but they did well on pasture, while many of the cattle already 
on the place got sick. My loss was heavy. Soon after this I heard that ticks 
gave cattle Texas fever, and that the symptoms were practically the same as 
those from which my cattle died. When I learned the life history of the tick 
and began reading about Texas or splenetic fever, I knew that the ticks had 
caused the damage. I remembered, too, that I had found ticks on most of 
the cows which died, and as the cattle from central Mississippi had been ac- 
customed to the ticks all of the time, that accounted for none of them dying. 
I began hand-greasing my cattle. Every time they would show many ticks 
I would have them rounded up and grease them. I used every kind of grease 
or solution I heard of, but this method was very unsatisfactory, as grease could 
