THE CATTLE TICK

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 157, 28 March 1919, Page 10

THE CATTLE TICK

GISBOBNE FARMERS AIAKUED. farmers on the East Coast are becoming alarmed about the.eattlo tick, which has obtained a serious hold on largo areas on cattle country in tho Auckland di6triot and is reported to be making its way southward. A meeting of farmers was held at Gisborno to discuss the matter, and tho following resolution was adopted:— That in view of tho fact that the cattle tick is a menace to the whole Dominion, this- public meeting of farmers is of the opinion that, the best results can bo achieved if the Government will instruct its otticials to take full, immediate, and adequate steps, without waiting for the establishment oE it board to in the first place stop the pest spreading by seeing that all infested areas are proclaimed as such for the protection of the Dominion.as a whole, and in the second place to eradicate the pest where it is known to exist bv a . regular and systematic system of dip-

ping. In the course of the discussion Mr. W. I). Lysnar 6uid that he had travelled over the infected area and made many inquiries. It was not certain if tho tick were the Australian or the South African type. In any case, it was a very serious post. It burrowed right into the skin of-the animal and at maturity it was the size of a thumb-nail. that part of tho animal to which it adhered very sore. After maturity it fell to the ground and its progeny, finding a nlace in the (trass, would attach themselves lo any animal that came along. An instance was given,of draught horses having suffered.. In such a case tho .tick adhered- to the tail. It was a characteristic of the tick that it would not let go, and lo separate it from an animal the body had sometimes lo bo separated from the head. On the danger

of spreading, Captain A, It. Young, Mr. Lyons, and Mr. 11. Munro,.all Government officials, had given good information. Mr. Munro had made investigations in Australia and gave full particulars of tho position in that country. In one State, an.area 7-tO miles by 25 miles had been eradicated by a system of dipping. The cattle were dipped 1 onto n fortnight for nine months. Jii other parts of Australia they had not suceecded in eradicating the disease.

. The tick, continued Air. Lysnar, was carried: by dogs, horses, cattle, sheep; straw, goods, or in men's clothes. An instance was given of a boy having hmi one tick on his leg. lie wmt out again and-came )>aelc in a very short time with fourleon ticks. Willi dipping they would almost invariably kill all the licks, but with a nearly matured female the hold may not bo released by dipping. That, however, was very exceptional. It was believed that if a place was not stocked for six months, the ticks would disappear, but that ivould be impracticable. The tick attacked sheep, but the biggest risk of it spreading was with dogs and horses, which sometimes travelled long distances. He hud spoken to a man who said he had had a tick in a match-box for two months and ii v:as still alive, and there were about 200 eggs.