Show t j KILLING FEVER fEVE TICKS r Promising Experiments Undertaken by the tural rural Department IlL r GUY ELLIOTT MITCHELL t CHEL I To stamp out Texas cattle fever This Is the hope of the Department of l Agriculture The Department has been working on the problem for some sometime sometime f. f time and It has almost been proved f to the satisfaction of officials that the tick which causes the fever can be eradicated from a pasture simply by keeping cattle out of that pasture The tick is not a herbivorous insect and it will die out if the pasture is kept free of cattle It is believed that if one pasture on a farm is always kept free of cattle over what might be termed the life me period of tho the tick it will furnish perfectly safe pasturage for uninfected animals in case fever breaks out in the rest of the herd of Agriculture Agriculture Agri Agri- Of course the Department culture has no right to go into a State and enforce the free pasturage policy and the matter cannot be be or at least is not always dealt with satisfactorily by State officials But in cases where the Department is officially invited to l' l come tome into a State and take charge of cleaning it up it Is quite ready to do so Tentative arrangements have already already al al- re ready dy been made for this work with the authorities in some States and it itis itis itis is believed that it will be quite possible pos pos- sible to stamp out the fever and allow allow allow al al- al- al low the free interstate transportation of cattle which is now prohibited The saving in money and the convenience to shippers of this arrangement merit can easily be understood 7 f To Introduce Cattle from India While this quarantine and extirpation extirpation extirpation tion w work rk is going on on a similar experiment experiment ment on different lines directed to the same end will soon be under way There here have been imported to some some Df ranges range the sacred an cU been they w were r u. tJ Texas fever Apparently there ere is an anoil anoil anoil oil in the skin that is repugnant to the tick At any rate they will wUl not harbor harbor har har- bor the parasite The half-bloods half and even animals containing but one six one six sixteenth part Indian blood have been found immune and they make just as asgood asgood good beef cattle as can be found There are very stringent laws against the importation of foreign stock into this country without thorough thorough thorough thor thor- ough examination and quarantine therefore it is risky to import stock from from- so so- far away as as as' India without t especial provisions for its examination Mr A. A S. S Borden of Pierce Tex has arranged however with the Agricultural Agricultural tural Department to make a large importation importation im of the immune Indian cattle cat cat- tle tie and has already left for British India to pick them out The Department Department Depart Depart- ment of Agriculture will send a cial veterinary after aCter him and the first shipment of about head will be annually would be 27 by each head of cattle 19 by each hog 12 and by each sheep 2 The fertilizing value of all the manure produced would therefore be for horses cattle hogs and sheep or a total of These estimates are based on the values usually assigned to phosphoric acid potash and nitrogen in commercial commer commer- cial fertilizers and are possibly some some- thigh from a practical standI stand stand- On the other t I is here taken of the value of manure for improving the mechanical condition condition condi condi- tion and drainage of soils which is almost as important a consideration as its direct fertilizing value It is generally conceded that at least one one- third of the value of manure is lost by present wasteful management or a total loss to the country of over Return Full Value to the Soil Soli If It a farmer desires to maintain the productiveness of his land it is essential essential essential es es- es- es that the amount of potash phosphoric acid and nitrogen removed through the selling of meat milk grain hay fruits vegetables etc should pe be e restored through an intelligent intel conservation of the barnyard manure It seems to be a hard matter to Induce induce In in- duce the average farmer to abandon I the he time-honored time practice of piling rr r M MJ J n i RYE YE GROWN ON WELL LAND TYPICAL CROP WHERE MANURE WASTED IS 1 examined before they are ship shipped ed and then quarantined on one of the small Islands of off the gulf guIr coast till it is determined determined determined de de- de- de that there is no danger of their bringing into this country some strange strang bovine affliction even worse perhaps than Texas fever After the animals have been thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- proven they will be introduced among the Texas herds and it is hoped that they will produce produce-a a fever resisting fever resisting strain that will be a valuable acquisition acquisition tion to the cattle men of the Southwest South South- west These two experiments of Uncle Sams Sam's farm department hold out a promise of very great Importance to the stock livestock industry and consequently consequently consequently conse conse- to all meat consumers The Manure Pit Where is the wise farmer who would sell to his neighbor a load of his finest corn or a load of or some green crop for fora a dollar bill Yet there are thousands of agriculturists all over the country who are doing practically this very thing when they dispose of their barnyard barnyard barn barn- yard manure for 1 a load Others are wasting the most valuable constituents constituents eats of the manure they save The manure produced on the tho farm is its most valuable asset There are in the United States in round numb numbers rs horses 61 61 cattle hogs and 45 45 sheep Experiments have shown that if it these animals were kept in stalls or pens throughout the year and the manure both liquid and solid carefully saved the approximate value of the manure produced by each horse i tom j g L CATTLE INFECTED WITH TEXAS FEVER manure in the open air exposing it to leaching by rains and fermentation by hot summer mid suns and adopt rational rational ra ra- ra- ra scientific methods He also hesitates hesitates hesi- hesi tates tales to incur the necessary expense of building suitable receptacles for the storage of manure frequently assuming assuming assum assum- assuming I ing that this expense is greater than it really is Manure Is considered a a waste and it is hard for him to pu put 1 e into practice the new idea that the tho manure should be as carefully preserved preserved preserved pre pre- served from unnecessary loss as should any other farm product after he has for twenty years stored the farmyard manure under the eaves upon the slope which forms ono one border of the running brook Experiments made by various Government Government Gov Gov- experiment stations show that the construction of sheds or covered yards for the protection of manure is well worth while The manure from the horse and cattle stables and the sheep and calf pens should be spread t HT fiOr that the value of the manure obtained In cattle feeding represents largely If not entirely the profit of feeding There are sound scientific reasons for the tho high esteem In which farm manure is held It contains all the fertilizing elem elements required by plants in quickly y available forms that insure plentiful crops and permanent fertility It supplies nitrogen phosphoric phosphoric phosphoric acid and potash and it also renders renders ren ren- ders the up stored-up materials of the soil more available ma makes es it more frIable friable fri frio able and warmer and enables it to retain more moisture L r A. A t THE WASTE OF BARNYARD MANURE out ut evenly over these yards covered with coarse litter Utter and the whole kept firmly packed by allowing animals to torun torun toun run un over it it thus preventing injurious fermentation ferm To Save All the Fertility A more elaborate and expensive style tyle of covered yard a plan for which is s furnished by the Department of Agriculture provides not only for the required protection of both animals and manure but also affords an excellent ex ex- excellent grain chamber where feed can cane be e stored for convenient use Under the ho side roofs is also afforded a chance for or the storing of small tools and a great variety of articles that are con con- in the way when lying about the he farm buildings It also provides splendid protection to animals when housed loused at night during the summer this his roof protecting them from heavy showers in the night and affording good chance for exercise e in the winer wint winter win- win I t ter er r as all the sides except that toward oward the south can be protected against cold winds through temporary temporary tempo tempo- temporary boarding Many stables are so go situated that by y adding a cheap lean lean to to a manure The outside outside outside out out- pit Is easily produced side boarding of the to lean-to should be e for a part of the way at least put horizontally and hung in the form of flat doors so that the manure can be easily loaded on a wagon standing on the outside of the building A great number of farmers who have adopted manure sheds and covered l d A CONVENIENT COVERED BARNYARD yards have obtained unsatisfactory results re reo re- re suits but the Department of Agriculture believes ture-believes ture believes that this is probably due to the fact that these structures have generally been loosely put together allowing a free circulation of air which has dried out the manure On this account barn cellars so common in New England possess decided advantages advantages ad ad- vantages as receptacles for manure The Tho common practice of allowing swine to work over the manure in these thes cellars is a wise one since it mixes the manure and keeps it well packed and moist In fact if these cellars are provided with impervious to hold the liquid manure this system of storage is proba probably ly the most perfect practiced Manure the Best nest Fertilizer Barnyard manure Is the most effective effective ef ef- ef means at the disposal of the average farmer to permanently improve improve improve im im- prove his soil solI No other fertilizer possesses pos pOSe to so great a degree the power of restoring worn out soils solIs to productiveness productiveness and giving them lasting fer for It provides actual f fertilizing constituents it improves the physical al properties of the soil solI increasing the amount of humus which Is generally deficient In worn soils bettering its texture and increasing its water ab ab and water water holding holding power Experiments Experiments Experiments Ex Ex- Ex- Ex have shown that the Influence influence ence of manure may be perceptible twenty years after application It directly di dl represents fertility drawn from the soil and must bo be returned returned to it If productiveness is to be maintained In many cases it has been demon- demon Rattlesnake Den We were lumbering in central Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania during the summer of 1870 our portable steam mill standing in ina ina ina a piece of woodland near a small stream and within a short half mile of a a- rocky ledge known as Rattlesnake Rattlesnake Rattlesnake Rattle snake Den j During the hot days rattlers were constantly met and Harry who drove the daily stage through the Narrows Narrows Narrows Nar rows had won quite a local reputation reputation reputation tion from having killed more moro than a score since the melting of the snows The Hie he pretty young wife of our engineer engineer en en- had charge of the boardinghouse boarding boardinghouse boardinghouse house and after the noon meal was served the dishes cleared away and the house put in order she was accustomed accustomed accustomed ac ac- ac- ac to bring her sewing into the shade near our Planer which was the cleanest and coolest part of the mill and sit for an hour or two before commencing commencing commencing com com- the preparation of the sup sup- per She was a sweet attractive sight that hot afternoon of which I speak her beautiful arms and neck rivalling rivalling rivalling rival rival- ling the whiteness of her simple frock the only female in our camp of rough brawny men but one whom any olus ofus of ol i ius us would have defended from all harm harmat at any risk I 1 Some of the men were rolling sup tup the logs on the skid some sawing them into boards others carrying the boards to the yard while my partner Manuel Manue Motz was personally tending to the themore themore themore more skillful work at the planer in front of which and facing it it May sat j I jI II I was just then acting as engineer and fireman and as I happened to look In their direction to my horror saw an immense rattler coiled colled within a foot or less of Mays May's back hl his body swaying to and fro and his angry eyes shining like sparks of fire I was literally literally literally lit lit- I paralyzed with terror for though but twenty feet away It seemed as if the blow would be struck before before before be be- fore I could take even the first step Motz must have seen the snake at the same moment for I heard his voice clear and sharp above the roar of all the machinery May theres there's a rattlesnake rattlesnake rattlesnake rattle rattle- snake that will strike if you move sit perfectly still As he ha spoke he grabbed from a beam the bull whip I which we used for our ox team and with the slightest movement of his powerful wrist snapped it at the reptile reptile rep rep- tile as If striking at a fly I remember remember ber her I thought what a fool action that was why didn't he ho dash forward and at least attract its attention But I looked again and the body lay quivering Bring ering and twisting but with a broken neck t Pretty close call caU May he said cheerily but its easy when you know the tho trick May had been perfectly cool and obedient till the danger was past and then womanlike she quietly swooned away and for a day or two we did our own cooking I I |