1 Dzc., 1897.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 473 
Tick Fever. 
NOTES ON THE INOCULATION OF BULLS AS A PREVENTIVE 
AGAINST TICK FEVER AT RATHDOWNY AND ROSEDALE. 
, By C. J. POUND, 
Director of the Queensland Stock Institute. 
In consequence of the almost complete destruction of serviceable bulls by ticks 
on a number of the Northern cattle stations, there has naturally sprung up 
a demand for this class of cattle from the well-known breeding runs in 
Southern Queensland and the northern districts of New South Wales. 
Up till quite recently the losses amongst. these unprotected bulls travelling 
from clean into permanently tick-infested districts has been exceptionally high— 
in some cases from 50 to 70 per cent.; while in one case which recently came 
under my notice, every animal in a mob of 57 Hereford bulls died. This 
has become such a serious matter for the Northern stockowners that it 
was decided to see if bulls could not be taken from clean into tick-infested 
country after having been inoculated with blood from an immune animal, 
In the early part of August last, Mr. William Collins, of Mundoolun, 
informed me that he was anxious to obtain a number of bulls from New South 
Wales, and have them inoculated prior to sending them to Inkerman, a grossly 
infested property on the Lower Burdekin. I pointed out to Mr. Collins that 
it would be advisable to obtain only young animals up to two years; as old 
bulls are more susceptible, consequently there must necessarily be a heavy 
mortality. 
In all my lectures I always bring prominently under the notice of stock- 
owners the following :— 
When ticks first appear in a herd the first animals to succumb to tick 
fever are bulls, especially the old ones; next in order come breeding cattle 
(cows) ; then bullocks and spayed cows; but the least susceptible of all are 
the young animals, and, practically speaking, there is little orno mortality 
from tick fever amongst yearlings or calves at foot. 
At a later date Mr. Collins informed me that he had purchased 35 Short- 
horn bulls, all under two years old, a few of them being very poor, while the 
majority were in a fair condition. : 
On 20th August, I proceeded to Rathdowny, on the Logan River, and inocu- 
lated each animal with 5 cubic centimetres of blood taken from No. 18 steer. 
The animal, No. 18 steer, from which the blood was obtained for inoculating 
the bulls with, was inoculated at Mundoolun five months previously with 
5 cubic centimetres of defibrinated blood from Inkerman steer B, and as a 
result suffered a very severe attack of fever, the temperature rising on the 
nineteenth day as high as 108 degrees 3 minutes, and for three days. the. urine 
was distinctly claret-coloured. 1 may here state that, owing to the blood being 
taken from an animal which had previously suffered from an extremely severe 
attack of fever, Messrs. W., G., and R. Collins: fully anticipated that several 
of the bulls would have died; but, us a matter of fact, Mr. R. Collins informed 
me on Sunday last (17th October) that not only had’ no. deaths .occurred, but 
every animal had completely recovered from the effects of inoculation, and 
they were in good health and fat condition. After inoculation the 35 bulls 
with 4 steers, also inoculated, were placed into a good prairie grass paddock 
with free access to plenty of good water. 
