Random Thought Thread

Nathan the Machinist said:
No shit?
Click to expand...

Probably a little shit, as I wasn't alive at the time, but I believe it.

They used to have cattle dips to attempt to ward ticks off the livestock. Think a concrete pool shaped like a hallway wide enough for one cow at a time, dug deep enough into the ground to cover the back of a mature cow, with a ramp on each end. They would fill it with water and a barrel of some kind of pesticide that was supposed to kill ticks. You'd drive the cows into a pen which led into a chute that narrowed down into the dip, then "convince" them to wade through the dip, covering all but their heads in the chemical mix before they walked out the other end. Anyone working near the dip would get soaked with the good stuff. Evidently it helped keep the cattle healthy for long enough, but there's a surprising number of cancer deaths in Central and South Texas from the generations that used such dips.
 
oldmanwilly said:
Probably a little shit, as I wasn't alive at the time, but I believe it.

They used to have cattle dips to attempt to ward ticks off the livestock. Think a concrete pool shaped like a hallway wide enough for one cow at a time, dug deep enough into the ground to cover the back of a mature cow, with a ramp on each end. They would fill it with water and a barrel of some kind of pesticide that was supposed to kill ticks. You'd drive the cows into a pen which led into a chute that narrowed down into the dip, then "convince" them to wade through the dip, covering all but their heads in the chemical mix before they walked out the other end. Anyone working near the dip would get soaked with the good stuff. Evidently it helped keep the cattle healthy for long enough, but there's a surprising number of cancer deaths in Central and South Texas from the generations that used such dips.
Click to expand...
Just some info: Cattle still get dipped in tick infested areas. Ranches I hunted on in TX were doing it. Ranchers and farmers have higher cancer rates from many of the chemicals they are exposed to. My FIL died from multiple myeloma and was a farmer. Very hard life.

Ticks, fire ants, and chiggers are 3 things I do not miss from TX!
 
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