858 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 26 
TICKS AND SOUTHERN CATTLE 
FEVER. 
I would like to say a few words with 
reference to some theories regarding 
southern cattle fever and ticks, advanced 
by R. J. Redding, on page 795. If the 
cattle tick is the carrier of the germ that 
causes the disease, and cattle brought 
from the North after March 1, and ex¬ 
posed to ticks, are liable to contract the 
fever and die, why did not the cattle 
purchased by the government in Mary¬ 
land, and sent to this county for experi¬ 
mentation, die of the disease? These 
cattle were given in charge of Dr. Cooper 
Curtice to ascertain the true relation, if 
there be any, between the tick and 
Splenetic fever. I think it safe to say 
that Dr. Curtice knows more about ticks 
and their distribution than any other 
man in America, and he not only ex¬ 
posed 15 of those cattle, old and young, 
to infested pastures, but placed a great 
many of the genuine (Boophilus bovis) 
on them. 
When the director of the Georgia Ex¬ 
periment Station comes to conclusions 
backed by a scientific expert, it may 
seem presumptuous of a farmer to take 
exception to them, but with quite an ex¬ 
perience with cattle in the South, and 
always within the cattle tick area, I am 
forced to differ with Mr. Redding in 
some of his conclusions. It is only in 
recent years that thorough scientific 
study of Texas fever has been attempted, 
and though pursued with diligence by 
veterinarians of the bureau, they frankly 
admit that their knowledge of it is, so 
far, very incomplete. Mr. Redding takes 
the premises that the tick alone is re¬ 
sponsible for southern cattle fever, and 
leads us to infer that its severity is gov¬ 
erned by the number of ticks that get 
on the animal ; and throughout his arti¬ 
cle the idea is conveyed that, after re¬ 
covering from even a mild attack, perma¬ 
nent immunity is insured. 
Ticks are here every year, but we do 
not have murrain every year. Some¬ 
times, when these parasites are most 
plentiful, there is no occurrence of the 
disease. In 1895, our herd was divided 
into two lots. One lot was terribly in¬ 
fested with ticks, yet kept in good health 
and flesh the entire season. The other 
lot had only a moderate number on them, 
but quite a proportion died. The past 
summer, the herd was decimated during 
June, when ticks were so scarce that 
they had almost escaped notice. The 
greatest mortality was in the part of the 
herd that was so plagued with ticks in 
1895. 
In 1888, we brought * car-load of Short¬ 
horn cattle, old and young, from Canada. 
The first year, they were perfectly 
healthy ; the second year, some died of 
murrain ; the third year, a few with 
some of their two-year-old progeny died; 
the fourth year, there was no sickness. 
We sold all but two, which were re¬ 
tained as milkers. In 1893, we enlarged 
the herd with cattle from different parts 
of Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee 
and North Carolina, which arrived here 
at all times of the year, but the fever 
did not appear, neither was there any 
sign of it in 1894. In 1895, one of the 
two cows remaining from the load im¬ 
ported from Canada, went down, with 
many others, the other in June of the 
present year, with fever. Can Mr. Red¬ 
ding explain the above facts by his tick 
theory ? 
Whatever may be the effect of a mild 
or non-fatal attack further south, it 
does not mean immunity here, at least, 
with Holsteins, Short-horns, Jerseys and 
Guernseys. We have had a number of 
cattle from the border line between Vir¬ 
ginia and North Carolina, that did seem 
to be immune. I have never yet seen 
one of them affected by the disease, but 
a more inferior class of cattle would be 
hard to find. So often have I seen cattle 
recover from one attack, sometimes 
pretty severe, and die afterwards from 
the fever, that I do not regard it, with 
the better breeds, as any security. I do 
not offer these statements for argument. 
I know too little about this obscure dis¬ 
ease, and that mostly of a negative 
character ; but if my experience has re¬ 
vealed some things that those with 
fewer opportunities have not found, I 
may be excused for giving them, though 
in direct opposition to the assertions of 
a well-known writer. I have never 
known of southern cattle fever when 
ticks were not present, and cannot say 
that they have not something to do with 
it. The fact that intelligent observers 
and scientific investigators say so, 
attaches suspicion to them, but the cir¬ 
cumstances connected with the infection 
in my eight years’ experience indicate 
that other causes operate to produce, or 
at least, aggravate the malady. 
The cattle used by the Government 
are now on our farm, and will be experi¬ 
mented upon by the Bureau veterinari¬ 
ans next summer. They will have one 
anxious and earnest onlooker who ex¬ 
pects to know more of southern cattle 
fever before another year rolls ’round, 
lie hopes to find, as Mr. Redding says, 
that, without ticks, there would be no 
fever, and that it is not only possible, 
but practicable to rid the farm of them. 
Virginia. albert r. bellwood. 
WHY / BREED HEREFORDS. 
My farm of 250 acres is situated three 
miles from Glencoe Station, on the 
N. C. R. R , and the land is in fair 
fertility, producing from 8 to 10 barrels 
of corn, 18 to 25 bushels of wheat, etc., 
to the acre, and is noted for its ca¬ 
pacity as a hay farm. To increase the 
productiveness of the farm, is my de¬ 
sire, and to my mind, there is no better 
way than to feed the crops on the farm, 
and get better prices for them out of 
good cattle, hogs and sheep. 
The manure from calves fed on the 
cows is of the best quality. I allow my 
calves to run with the cows for six to 
eight months, then wean and either milk 
or dry up the cows. In this way, my 
calves grow big and I have no trouble 
in selling them for $50 and upwards. 
Herefords are strictly beef cattle, and 
the quality of the beef is not excelled 
by that of any other breed. They have 
won three times out of five at the Fat 
Stock Show in Chicago, and a Hereford 
won it at New York last month. For 
heavy weight and early maturity, they 
are on top, and for breeding true to 
color, have no superior. The cows give 
a good quantity of milk, but of course, 
it is not Jersey milk. Mary 2nd. and 
Lady Wilton, two cows of my herd, will 
give nearly four gallons each per day, 
and milk from calf to calf. I have sold 
bull calves to head dairy herds, and 
crossed with the Jersey, I know by 
actual experience that they make good 
milk cows. 
Herefords are very hardy cattle, and 
will look and do well on rough feed. 
My first intention was to raise steers, 
but the demand for bulls is so good that 
I prefer advertising and selling them in 
that way. One has two chances in this 
mode of farming ; if not sold as breeders, 
they may be fattened for market. They 
can be made to weigh, as two-year-olds, 
1,200 to 1,400 pounds, and if one can 
strike a Christmas market like the New 
York show, and sell for $7 per 100 
pounds, I think that it would be good 
business. Raising corn and selling it 
for $1.50 or $2 per barrel, and paying 
expenses to get it to market, is far from 
profitable ; but to grind cobs and all 
and feed it to a nice bunch of Here¬ 
fords, is a profitable pleasure. 
There are three ways of farming in 
this section, viz.: To sell milk, butter, 
or crops. The first two ways I believe 
are better than the last, but my experi¬ 
ence is that, to get competent, careful 
milkers, is a very difficult matter, and 
the distance from the railroad made 
these modes too expensive. My reasons, 
then, for raising Herefords are, because 
of the money that is in them and for the 
good of the farm. Let any one put his 
money into well-bred cattle, advertise, 
and treat his customers right, making 
them satisfied, or returning their money, 
and I will be much mistaken if my way 
won’t please him. But he must give his 
stock good care and feed, or else get out 
as soon as possible. e. m. gillet. 
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