CATTLE TICK PEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18172, 18 August 1922, Page 9

CATTLE TICK PEST.

MEASURES FOR CONTROL.

DRASTIC ENFORCEMENT.

ACTIVITIES DURING SUMMER

While the approach of spring has inspired poets from time immemorial to write of the beauties and charms of this particular season of the year, its coming does not always bring unalloyed joy, for the budding and awakening of the plant and insect world bring to life various pests against which farmers and orchardists must wage unceasing war. Particularly is this the case in those parts of the Auckland district where the menace of the cattle tick is ever-present, for with the first fine, warm days of spring-time these devastating insects come to life, and from that time on there is need for unceasing vigilance until the close of the summer.

The ticks are new reappearing on stock. and a warning has recently been issued that the cattle-tick regulations must be strictly observed, and' that any person removing stock from certain areas without fir.jt obtaining a permit from the stock inspector of the district will be prosecuted. The reason for this drastic enforcement of the regulations was explained yesterday by an. officer of the department, who stated that the new regulations were gazetted last February with a view to allowing farmers time to make arrangements for dipping before tho reappearance of tho pest in the spring. Introduced from Australia. The cattle tick, he said, first made its appearance in New Zealand about 13 years ago, presumably having been brought in some grass seed from New South Wales. The pest was also existent in other parts of Australia, in South Africa, India, and Borneo. Its eggs were hatched on the ground, and tho young ticks climbed up the grass sfalks and on to the cattle, attacking them with a minute trunk like that, of 'an elephant, which they drove in under the skin in order to suck the blood. The presence of a large number of ticks on an animal would thus be a very, serious matter, but so far as the pest in Auckland was concerned the speaker had not seen any cattTe whose condition had been seriously affected in this way. Once the tick made its appearance it was practically impossible to secure its eradication; all that could be done was to prevent the spread of the pest. Dipping and Spraying. Explaining the method of control, the speaker stated that this could only be effected by constant dipping and spraying of cattle on infected farms in the tick neasori, which extended from the first of September until the end of ( March, when the ticks dropped off the cattle and remained dormant in the ground until the spring. The Auckland Province has been divided into two areas, one extending from the North Cape to the Whau River, between Avondalo and New Lynn, and including the Great Barrier Island, Thames and Tauranga districts. The other area extends across the Waikato and the southern portion of tho province. It is only in the first area, however, that the tick has been found to exist to any great extent, although isolated cases have occurred here and there in the Waikato. Under tho regulations it is compulsory that every fanner on whose property the j tick is known to exist must have bis stock sprayed or dipped every 21 days throughcut the season. Notification of discovery of the tick must be made with 24 hours to the stock inspector in charge of the district, who keeps a close watch to see if the regulations regarding dipping are being complied with. 00-operative Measures by Farmers.

One of the first steps toward eflicieril control of the pest is obviously the erection of dips within easy driving distance of the various farms, and there are now between 60 and 80 dips in North Auckland. The erection of a dip is a rather costly affair, running into £300 or more, so that the farmers of a district usually finance it on co-operative lines. A Government subsidy, £ for £ up to £150, is allowed, but in districts where material is scarce and transport costly the cost of erection sometimes considerably exceeds £300. The dips consist of long concrete tanks, 50ft. or 60ft. long and about Bft. deep, through which the cattle are compelled to swim to a landing at the far end. As dairy herds would suffer from constant driving and dipping the spraying process is used instead of dipping. The term " stock " comprises horses, caJlle, and dogs, and they all have to take their monthly dip once the tick has made its unwelcome appearance. Dogs are ready carriers, for, as they run through the grass and brambles, they afford a ready foothold for the insects, and the nightly search of his dogs is one of the duties of every good farmer during the tick season.

The Removal of Stock. One of the most important measures in connection with the control of the pesb is the regulation forbidding the removal of any stock from an infected area without a permit from the stock inspector. This means that no stock can be removed from anywhere in North Auckland, the Great Barrier, or Taurarfga, to the southern area without treatment and inspection, and it 7s a measure which makes it very difficult for the pest to spread from an infected to a clean area. Auckland shipping companies will not now carry any stock, even sportsmen's hunting dogs, from Northern ports to Auckland without a permit, while permits must be obtained for all cattle sent down by rail to the weekly sales in Auckland.