RETORT ON SOUTHERN CATTLE FEVER. 
27 
question as to whether there are means of infection other 
than ticks, I intend to select a farm which has been notor¬ 
iously permanently infested, and adopt every possible method 
to keep it free from ticks and then note the effect of intro¬ 
ducing susceptible cattle. 
As to the means to be used in destroying ticks I have made 
no practical experiments, but it is my intention to institute 
experiments with the beginning of the season. 
Dr. Francis, Veterinarian of the Texas Agricultural Ex¬ 
perimental Station, publishes in Bulletin No. 24 of that insti¬ 
tution some very practical information in regard to the 
methods he follows,to destroy ticks on cattle. He says: “A 
combination of lard and sulphur or lard and kerosene gives 
good results.” The best results obtained by him followed 
the use of sheep dips. He used Cannon’s, Hayward’s, and 
Little’s dips, two per cent, solutions (in water). On ranges 
where a great number of animals are to be freed from ticks 
he devised an unique apparatus which he describes and illus- 
lustrates in Bulletin No. 24. Where the number of cattle is 
limited the dips are applied with sponges, mops, brushes, or 
syringes. 
I infer from reading the Bulletin that their object in de¬ 
stroying ticks is not to prevent Texas fever, but in order to 
rid the cattle of a pest, which the tick is considered to be. 
When we consider the general ignorance of every particu¬ 
lar in regard to this disease, manifested by those directly inter¬ 
ested, the heavy losses sustained by cattle owners is not at all 
surprising. Very few in this section realize that murrain and 
Texas fever mean the same disease. In view of all the infor¬ 
mation sent out by the U. S. Agricultural Department one 
would think that the public should be well posted on the sub¬ 
ject, but such is not the case. Fully ninety-five per cent, of 
the valuable literature published by the Government is wasted 
because it does not reach the persons who would make proper 
use of it, or if it does reach a certain percentage of them it is 
in a shape that is incomprehensible to them, and, consequent¬ 
ly, is not read or studied. 
There can be no doubt that if the Government would 
