HUGE AVOIDABLE LOSSES. 
contested by most cattle men, the parasite was rapidly conveyed to the centre 
of the cattle areas of the north. Its subsequent spread over the whole of what 
may be termed the “tickable’” area of Queensland I need not dwell upon. The 
point to emphasize is that had more foresight been exercised, or had that 
apparently innocuous entry of Indian cattle to Darwin in 1872 been prohibited, 
the saving to Australia would have been incalculable. The loss from ticks and 
tick fever probably represents a much larger sum than that due to the late war, 
and prevented the development of the tropics. 
Worm Nodules—Not only did these Javan cattle introduce the cattle tick. 
but they probably introduced the worm nodule, whose presence in the briskets of 
the majority of cattle bred in Queensland and the North has resulted in the 
prohibition of beef briskets by the British authorities. Although the parasite- 
causing these nodules is in no way dangerous to human beings, the monetary 
loss occasioned to the cattle-owner amounts to an enormous sum annually, The 
parasite is confined to cattle. It is not present in European cattle elsewhere, 
save in the few found in the Dutch Indies, the ancestors of which were imported 
from Australia. The only part of the world where the same parasite affects 
- native cattle is the Dutch Indies, where the inquiries of Dr. Georgina Sweet 
shoaved it to be veryeprevalent. The distribution of the parasite in Australia 
Milk from Tick-Free Cows, From Cows with Few Ticks. © From Cows with Many Ticks, 
DIAGRAM SHOWING DIMINUTION OF MILK YIELD DUE TO TICK-INFESTATION. 
Another example of avoidable loss. 
indicates it came from the North. It is unknown amongst Victorian-bred cattle, 
though frequently found in Queensland cattle fattened in Victoria and killed at 
the Melbourne Abattoirs. Near Sydney it is occasionally seen in locally-bred 
cattle, and the further north the more commonly is it found, till in the Territory 
the cattle are almost all affected. It is therefore certain the source of Aus- 
tralian infection was the Javan Archipelago—the original home of the parasite. 
In the absence of any exact knowledge as to the means whereby the parasite 
is spread from one cattle beast to another, it is impossible to state definitely 
that the Javan importation of Zebu cattle in 1892 was the only means of intro- 
duction to Australia. Early in the century—1826-1828—the military settlements 
at Melville Island and Port Essington introduced some cattle from Timor and 
Sourabaya. There is now no trace of cattle on Melville though buffaloes intro- 
duced at the same time are numerous. On the Coburg Peninsula I am informed 
a few are yet to be found, descendants of the original cattle, but none have 
ever wandered south and mingled with station herds, and no European cattle 
have ever been seen nearly so far north. 
In the absence of a knowledge of the intermediary host, which we know. is 
necessary for the development of the parasite, one cannot hold the ‘military 
importations guiltless, especially in the absence of any scientific examination 
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