The progressive farmer and the cotton plant. [volume], August 01, 1905, Page 3, Image 3

About The progressive farmer and the cotton plant. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1904-1905

Image provided by: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC

                
Tuesday, August 1, 1905J
PROGRESSIVE FARMER AND COTTON PLANT.
EXTERMINATION OF THE CATTLE TICK.7
An Important Bulletin by the Tennessee Experiment Station , is Commended
by the United States Department of Agriculture A Practicable Method
of Combating Ticks on Small Farms. -
Washington, D. C, July 26, 1905.
Editor Progressive Farmer, Raleigh,
X. C.
Dear Sir: The South is again to
i,.-. -mcrratulated on a piece of Ex
periment Station work which is
hardlv second in importance to any
piece of work done anywhere in the
eoiintrv. I refer to the recent bulle
tin on "The Texas Fever Cattle
Tick," by Prof. H. A. Morgan,
formerly of the Louisiana Experi
ment Station at Baton Rouge, and
now Director of the Tennessee Ex
periment Station at Knoxville. This
bulletin has been issued bv both of
the Experiment Stations named, and
can doubtless be had by addressing
either Prof. Morgan, at Knoxville,
Tenn., or Prof. W. R. Dodson, Di
rector of the Experiment Station at
Baton Rouge, La.
Texas fever has been the bane of
the cattle industry in the South, and
has done more to prevent the devel
opment of beef production and dairy
ing ;.n that section than all other
causes combined. Prof. Morgan, Ty
a careful and patient study of the
habits and life history of the tick
which conveys this disease from one
animal to another, has been able to
work out an entirely practicable
method of ridding a farm of these
ticks. The method is exceedingly
simple and inexpensive, and can be
rracticed on practically any farm
in the South. It is hoped that farm
ers throughout the South will take
advantage of the knowledge Prof.
Morgan has given them.
W. J. SPILLMAN,
Agriculturist, TJ. S. Department of
Agriculture.
The foregoing note from Prof.
Spillman explains itself. A copy of
the bulletin referred to reached The
Progressive Farmer and Cotton
Plant several days ago, and. we had
copied for use in our paper the sum
mary of conclusions given herewith.
In no Southern State is the cam
paign against the cattle tick being
more wisely or successfully carried
on than it is in North Carolina un
der the direction of Dr. Tait Butler.
But the experiments made bv Prof.
Morgan cannot fail to be of value
everywhere, and we urge our readers
to send for copies of his bulletin.
Summing up his first series of ex
periments, Prof. Morgan announces
the followin"- five points:
Facts About Infestation and Inoculation.
Experiments conducted in this and
other States suggest the following
conclusions upon the fever side of
the cattle tick situation:
1. The cattle tick (Boophilus an
nulatus) is the only species in the
United States capable of conveying
the Texas fever germ from one ani
mal to another (cattle).
2. The degree of virulence of the
fever germ transmitted by individu
al ticks depends to a very great ex
tent upon the susceptibility of the
animals upon which the immediate
ttrop-enitors of these ticks were de
veloped. Hence an animal recently
unmunized by blood inoculation will
suffer less from tick fever if pas
tured with a number of native cattle
than if permitted to collect seed
ticks, the immediate offspring of
those developed upon this inoculated
ammal. The offspring of cattle
ticks developed a few generations
n horses and mules, in the blood of
which the germ becomes innocuous,
arc' non-transmitters of fever. These
conditions, together with incorrect
identifications, account for the belief
of some stock owners that ticks do
not transmit Texas fever.
3. ' It is possible to give a marked
'degree of immunity by hypodermic
injections of fresh or defibrinated
blood (1-5 c. c) from a non-susceptible
tick-infested animal, or by gradu
al and limited artificial application
of young ticks (seed ticks), the prod
uct of old ticks developed on animals
which have had Texas fever either
from inoculation or from tick in
festation. 4. Young animals suffer less dur
ing immunization than older ones,
unless changes in dentition disquali
fy them for the range, in which case
judicious feeding must be resorted
to. In fact, during the fever period
(sixty days) animals should be placed
upon a nutritious, well balanced
ration.
5. With higher-priced animals it
is better to inoculate the calves at
from six to nine months old than
to permit promiscuous tick infesta
tion, and consequent serious check
in development when a week or more
old, as it the case with calves drop
ped upon infested pastures.
Practicable Plans for Destroying: the Ticks.
The second part of Prof. Morgan's
bulletin deals with practical plans
for farm destruction of ticks, and
the conclusions are these:.
1. The North American cattle tick
has been bred upon cattle, horses and
mules. Horses and mules are not
continuously infested when upon
ticky pastures as are cattle.
2. Sheep and goats run upon pas
tures, scatter hunches of seed ticks
and reduce possible infestation of
cattle upon the same pastures.
3. The excessive tax of gross in
festation of ticks is not only shown
by the great loss of flesh of animals
attacked, but in the slower develop
ment of ticks on animals intensely
infested.
4. In connection with the two pas
ture methods suggested for the eradi
cation of the fever tick, the periods
of greatest importance in the life of
this tick are: (1) The combined em
laying and incubation, which takes
place upon the ground of the pas
ture, and (2) the development of the
tick upon cattle (from the time the
seed ticks are collected from the pas
ture and attach, through the two
molting periods, to the engorgement
and. dropping of the females). Eggs
hatch readily in from twenty to
thirty days from May until early Oc
tober. Those deposited in the lat
ter half of November, in December,
January, February, and early March,
hatch in April and May; earlier in
exceptionally open winters. Ticks
develop upon, cattle in from about
nineteen to thirty days in summer,
and the longest winter development
upon cattle was found to be forty
days- , j
5. More eggs as a rule are deposit
ed in summer than in winter. Many
females succumb to the cold before
depositing half as many esrsrs as fe
males of the same size would deposit
in summer.
6. Seed ticks possess remarkable
vitality, having been found to be able
to exist without food as long as two
months in summer and over six m
late fall, winter and early spring.
7. From a study of the life and
habits of the fever tick, two plans
have been developed for its eradica
tion: (1) A pasture rotation system,
utilizing June, July, August, Sep
tember, and October to starve out
the tick from pastures by excluding
cattle, horses, and mules ; (2) the
adoption of the feed-lot method with
in a sorghum, corn millet or other
forage field conveniently located for
water and shade.
8. Animals south of the ouarantine
line may, anv time , during the year,
be absolutely cleaned of ticks in
forty days or less by the feed-lot
method.
9. Seed ticks hatched in late Sep
tember and 'October, living as they
can as long as six months, may in
fest cattle during any warm spell
from late September until April.
10. While a number .of substances
are of great value in reducing tick
infestation of animals, they are at
tended with some loss, considerable
expense and much worry, and can
not be relied upon for complete
eradication except when associated
with the pasture rotation remedy.
Many substances used to lessen tick
infestation irritate the skins of ani
mals and lengthen the period of de
velopment of ticks which survive the
effect of the application.
PRACTICAL POULTRY TALKS.
A Batch of Suggestions Appropriate to
the Season.
Messrs. Editors: The hatching
season is now over, and the poultry
man has little to do but care for the
young and old stock, culling out and
sending to market all poor speci
mens and those not desirablet for
breeders for next season. The sea
son has been an unusually good one,
the hatching and rearing young bet
ter with most for the past several
years, yet the prices realized for
eggs and fryers has been kept up to
a paying basis. Plump broilers are
bringing fourteen cents per pound,
while eggs are retailing for twenty
cents per dozen.
Poultry Market Never Over-Supplied.
The supply will never again meet
the demand, if every poultryman or
woman doubled their capacity. What
bright prosnects ahead for the live
up-to-date poultry raisers! By that
I do not mean the fancier, for he
"cuts little ice" compared to the
market poultrvman for he is the
man who feeds the hungry (chicken
hungry) multitude. It is therefore
to the interest of the market man
to raise nothing but the best. It
really costs no more to raise a good
broiler than a roor one, and the dif
ference in price received will con
vince any one that it pays to keep
good stock to breed from.
Good Breeds for Market Purposes.
One need not become a "crank" be
cause he has pure-bred poultry.
There are thousands of people rais
ing poultry for profit (and get it)
who never exhibit and never saw a
copy of the Standard of Perfection,
and don't know a good exhibition
bird when they see it, yet do know
that for nice salable fryers at all
seasons, the Rocks or Wyandottes
are the best: while if eggs are
wanted Leghorns or Minorcas can
not be surpassed.
We of the present generation are
not onlv after the '"dollar of our
daddies." but- our grand-daddies as
well, but to get this we must have
the best in the market. If you have
watched the market auotations you
have found this so. It reads some
thing like this: "Chickens, fat,
plump, hens, 14 to 15 per pound,
good demand; poor hens. 10 to 11
cents per pound, slow sale."
"Take the case, gentlemen."
Guarding Against Bats.
If it were not for the many ene
mies to poultry, which the poultry
man has to contend with, his voca
tion would be a ' comparatively easy
one. No community seems to be free
from the ravages of some sort of
vermin which prey upon the chickens
and become a constant terror from
the time the chicks are hatched till
they mature. It is easy enough with
good stock and proper care to avoid
seriosu ravages of disease, but it is
hard to guard against the night at
tacks of rats and cats. Brooder and
coop doors should be shut every night
and a god dog kept close to the
chicken houses. One good sized rat
will kill more chickens in one night
than could be hatched by hens in a
month. Of course if we could raise
all the chickens hatched they would
be a drug on the market, but if pos
sible, take care of yours and let the
other fellow sustain the losses. It's
a case of every man for himself,
and His Satanic Majesty take the
hindmost.
Notes for Early August.
One of the most common mistakes
made by poultrymen is the over
crowding of both old and young
stock. Confinement in overcrowded
quarters will ruin the healthiest and
strongest birds, and the smaller and
weaker ones in the flock give up
early in the flight.
Have regular times for feeding.
Regularity is a great virtue in car
ing for fowls. They soon learn when
meal times come, and if the food
is not forthcoming they A ret more
or less, and the egg basket shows a
loss.
You cannot intelligently breed
standard bred fowls without a copy
of the Standard of Perfection or
the knowledge that it contains.
Therefore get a copy and study it.
If you want to have a hard luck
story to tell, wait till winter comes
before preparing for it.
Filthy drinking vessels are the
cause of many serious ailments of
fowls. Continued drinking of im
pure water will produce what is
commonly termed cholera, and the
flock is soon wiped out.
There is no one breed which is ab
solutely better than all the rest. All
breeds and varieties have their
staunch supporters who are ready to
claim the earth for them. They
mean well, but are unconsciously
prejudiced. '
It is always an easy matter to
over-feed fowls, and the poultryman
should bear this in mind. They
will often fly around their keeper
and have the appearance of starving
for food when they do not need it
at all.
"As an author, he was noted,
And his wise remarks were quoted
In the leading poultry papers
Every season by the score;
His advice he sold for money,
But although it seems so funny,
When he wanted eggs he bought
them
At the corner grocery store."
"UNCLE JO."
South Carolina State Farmers' Institute
The presiding officer of the South
Carolina State Farmers' Institute,
Prof. J. N. Harper, of Clemson Col
lege, who is also director of the Ex
periment Station, has issued a bul
letin to the farmers of the State call
ing a State Farmers' Institute for
August 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th, to be
held at Clemson College. The open
ing address will be delivered by Sen
ator Tillman, Profs. Spillman and
Everett and Dr. Summers are among
the speakers. Mr. M. V. Richards,
industrial agent of the Southern
Railway, has been invited to address
the body on the subject of immigra
tion. Ample provision has been made
by the authorities for accommoda
tion of the farmers at the college and
the board and lodging have been re
duced to a nominal price.