Investigations into the Nature, Causation, and Prevention of Texas or Southern Cattle Fever Page: 124
This book is part of the collection entitled: Rescuing Texas History, 2010 and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the University of Texas Health Science Center Libraries.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
TEXAS OR SOUTHERN CATTLE FEVER.
Twenty-one native cows put into one of the infected pastures May 1
began to die early in July. On June 19, twenty-four native steers
broke into a pasture infected April 1-15 by the Texan cattle. They
were returned next day to a pasture containing 114 natives. The
twenty-four steers began to show signs of disease July 9, and only two
recovered. Curiously enough Texas fever broke out among the 114
natives, and several were found dead September 21. These circum-
stances are all perfectly intelligible, if we apply the facts which we
have worked out concerning the life history of the cattle tick and its
relation to Texas fever. It is to be regretted that Billings did not make
any observations on the ticks present on the infected cattle.
We will take it for granted that the Texan cattle brought cattle ticks
with them, and that ripe females dropped on the pastures about Teka-
mah, Nebr., from April 1 to April 15. We have received such from
North Carolina in midwinter which, confined in a paper box in the lab-
oratory, promptly laid a large number of eggs. It might be claimed that
at this date the low temperature would destroy the ticks entirely. It
is true that low temperatures interfere with the growth of ticks on cat-
tle and with the development of the young tick in the egg, but the em-
bryo is not destroyed and simply lies dormant until the warmer season
approaches. Thus on the experiment station ticks (probably in the
egg) actually wintered over on a wooded pasture in 1890-'91. We
are indebted to the Weather Bureau for the daily maximum and mini-
mum temperature of De Soto, Nebr., about 25 miles south of Teka-
mah, from March 30 to May 15, 1887. From this table we learn that
the thermometer fell at night below 320 F. only seven times after March
30, and that on April 8 the maximum temperature was 920 F. There
was nothing in the weather, therefore, to prevent the ripe ticks laying
their eggs. The young ticks probably did not hatch before the middle of
June, because the twenty-one native cows which were put on an infected
pasture did not begin to die until early in July. The twenty-four steers
which broke into an infected pasture June 19 began to show signs of
disease at about the same time (July 9). This short period of twenty
days indicates that the ticks were probably just hatched when these
steers broke in.
The time of infection pf the large lot of natives by these steers may
be easily calculated. They returned from the infected pastures June 20
with young ticks on them. If we allow twenty to twenty-five days for
maturing, seven to ten days for egg-laying, twenty days for hatching,
ten to fifteen days for the appearance of the fever, and seven to four-
teen days for the first fatal case, we have in all sixty-four to eighty-four
days from June 20 for the first death among the natives infected by na-
tives. This could bring us to August 23 or September 12 as the proba-
ble date of the appearance of the disease originating from ticks which
matured on native cattle. The actual date was September 21. Or we124
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Smith, Theobold & Kilborne, Fred Lucius. Investigations into the Nature, Causation, and Prevention of Texas or Southern Cattle Fever, book, 1893; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth143538/m1/124/?q=%221863%22&rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting University of Texas Health Science Center Libraries.