496 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [L June, 1902. 
TEXAS FEVER. 
PERPLEXED.— 
Question.—In your issue of April, in the very interesting article on the 
above subject from the Mlorida Agriculturist, there are many 
statements with which I think anyone with experience with this pest 
must concur. But there is one with which I must beg to differ. It 
asserts : “ Carcasses are absolutely harmless so far as the power to 
perpetuate the disease is concerned. The virus is not carried to 
other cattle by means of carnivorous birds or animals. In order 
for the dead cattle to become a source of infection some of its 
blood would have to be carried by biting insects and inoculated into 
the skin of susceptible bovines.” 
But after reading the article one would naturally ask where the 
ticks disappear to whena beast dies—whether from redwater or other- 
wise. We know that there are many ticks that do not carry the 
poison. And is it not feasible that it is the progeny of these ticks 
that are on the cattle when they die that is the sole cause of the 
disease. And the difference between what is commonly called the 
redwater tick and the non-poisonous one is, the redwater tick is 
hatched and reared on a putrid carcass and the others are not. 
One of the names given to this disease in the paper is town- 
cow disease—very suggestive of the tick being a scavenger. 
My experience with ticks for about three years has pointed to 
the above conclusion; and by burning dead cattle I have been 
almost immune from fever. Horses by instinct always shun dead 
beasts ; cattle are otherwise. Horses do not get the disease. 
I trust you will consider the above worthy of looking into 
further. 
Answer.—Experience has demonstrated most clearly that ticks carried 
by, and that have matured on, horses, sheep, and wild animals that 
are not susceptible to tick or Texas fever, do not produce the 
disease when aha progeny become attached to cattle. Ticks are 
only pathogenic (disease-producing) when they develop on cattle 
suffering from or that have passed through tick fever, either 
naturally acquired or imparted by means of inoculation. 
ARROWROOT FODDER—WEIGHTS OF SHEDS. 
Trove Brux, Palmwoods— 
Question 1.—What is the value of arrowroot stalks and leaves as food 
for cattle ? 
Answer 1.—No value whatever. Cattle, at a pinch, will eat the Maranta 
Arundinacea—West India arrowroot, but they will not touch the 
Canna edulis—Queensland arrowroot. Both are really valueless, 
consisting as they do of a certain amount of succulent matter with 
a great deal of fibre. The Queensland arrowroot plant secretes an 
acrid juice which a goat would reject in favour of a dish of coach 
varnish. 
Question 2.—What is the duty on vegetable and flower seeds entering 
the Commonwealth ? 
Answer 2.—Both are free of duty. 
Question 3.—What is the weight of a pint of good turnip seed ? 
Answer 3.—13 02. 
Question 4.—What is the weight of a quart of good dwarf bean seed ? 
Answer 4.—About 2 Ib. 
