The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-05-27
From the ". y. Times, Nay 25
SWlLL FED PORK-THE DISTEMPER AMONG

From the ". T. Times May 25
SWlLL FED P0RK-TIIE DISTEMPER AMONG
THE HOGS.
few days ago our attention was called to the
fact that in the State of New .ersev within con-
yenient distance of this city, there are several large
dIstlilerles with hog pens attached to them, and
that upon the swill from these establishments large
numbers ot hogs are fattened for the New York
market. We were also informed that distemper
had broken out among the swine at one of these es
Establishments, at Milestone, Somerset county, n. j.,
and that many of them had died of it, it was stated
moreover, that slaughtered hogs, whose flesh was
diseased had been brought to the city. We imme-
dlateiy dispatched reporter to Milestone. The
village is forty miles from this city and is situated
on the bank of Milestone river, a small stream which
derives its name and its principal importance from
the numerous mills to which it furnishes water
power
The Delaware and Raritan Canal passes through
the place, and it is the terminus Of branch of the
New. Jersey Railroad over which freight trains only
pass carrying grain, pork and whiskev, to New
York. East Milestone is the name of small settle
ment situated near the village proper and in the
centre of it is the dstillerv of Messr Alcot Cook:
and not quite mile from the dstillerv are the pens
In which hogs are fattened upon the still house sops
! The swili is conveyed in pipe underground from
the distlery to the pens, which have been hired bv
Mr.. VIM. ID. Bellus, who has at present about 95O
hogs there; Messrs. Ocott Il Cook furnish the pens
and swiil, and MIR. Beus pays them forty cents per
head month.
! The swine were brought from the West, and are
divided into two parcels, the first of which were
! placed in the pens the 24th of March last. and
the second on the 9TH of April-eaeh lot consisting
of l25 hogs. All of the hogs have had the distemper
| Mr.. Oleott informed u.s. Most Of them, he said had
entirely recovered; some of them were still afflicted
with it, as we very readily perceived on inspecting
them An eruption, generally on the legs, in the
vicinity of the hook joint is the external manifesto
ton OF the distemper. The parts about the sores
were, in some cases, very much swollen, the hair
being thin and the animal cmaciated b..
The pigs, as soon as the distemper attacked them
We're turned out OF the pens and permitted to roam
at large in the open air 1t took about thirty davs
We were told for the distempcr to pass through the
first drove of pigs; the second drove caught the dis
case-which is contagious--from the first drove
! when the latter c0nvaescent The pigs of the
second drove had it for thirty days. and were kept
in the neighborhood of those of the first drove all
the time, but the latter did not again catch it,
About 100 pigs have died from the disease since the
ilrst drove was put into the pens.
After recovering from the distempcr, Mr.. Olcott
said the pigs began to grow fat-thev were kept all
the time swill from the distilIcrv-and he showed
us some very corpulent grunters, which he said had
recovered from the distcmper, and increased in size
steadily ever since. The pens occupy about
oi ground and are very cOmmOdious. There are
accommodations there for $500 hogs. Each pen is
Is feet wide, and 2S feet long, with trough in the
centre; they were very clean when we saw them,
and we were assured that they were ALWAYS kent so
y cuVert INTO which streams of fresh water flow,
carries oil the refuse from the pens into the river
The dlstemper among these hogs, therefore, was not
caused by uncleanliness, or by crowdng them to-
gether in the pens. Either their food. which has
consisted entirely of swil from the disiery or in
lection brought from the West, it would appear,
must have caused it.
New Jersey hogs, owned by farmers in the vicin-
ity Mr.. OcOtt told us, were fed with the swiIl and
yet escaped the disemper; but the neighbors told
US that the swill mixed with other food before
1t was given to their pigs Some of the farmers had
sent hogs to the pens attached to the disilery to
DC Kept Tor them on the Swill and they had CAUGHT
the dlstemper and many of them had died Mr.
Ocott showed us a SOW which had a litter of pigs
two weeks old, which she had produced while fed
on the unadulterated swill; of the oilsprngs
had died, and the parent was doing well on swill
mixed with meal Of the one hundred pigs which
had died, many had been opened. and it was found
generally that their lungs and kidneys were dis
cased. When zig refused its food, Mr.. 0cott
said, and it was thus made evident that it was
about to become diseased, the best way was to XIII It
inmediatey; its flesh was perfectly good if killed at
this stage.
He was of the opinion that the swill was perfect
~ healthy; it consisted Of all the elements of grain,
starch, fat, gluten, and small portion of woody
matter, except the starch, of which after the dis
tllling process about 20 per cent remained in the
swlll. II you take quart of ale he said, raise
It's temperature to l10 deg. and let it stand long
enough to evaporate its alcohol about fifteen min
utes, you have avery poor article stilIhouse sops
The story about the use of srychnine in dstilling
was fabrication; the only object in using itwould
as cheap to use hops. The distillery of Messrs Oh
colt and Cook erected about two years ago,
was burned down last August, and rebuilt at an ex
pense OF S3S,000 soon after. The firm does bust
ness under the name of the East Milestone Manufac-
turing Company.
We were informed at Milestone that Mr. Robert
Mnturn, a cousin of Mr. Robert B. Mnturn of this
city, had a large distillery at New Brunswick and
kept about 1000 hogs, which were fed on swill and
many of which had had the dstemper. We visited
Mr. Mlnturn at New Brunswick, but he informed us
that his hogs had not had the distemper, although
they were fed on swill. Several months ago he had
some Western hogs sent to him. and they were in
fected with the disease, and he sent them back.
Since then he had kept Pennsylvania hogs mostly,
which he fattencd for five six months, and then
slaughtered and sent them to this CITY, We were
informed by an employee on the New Jersey rail
road, that within a year past ''some hard-looking
speckled pork" to use his own words had been
carried over the road from New Brunswick to this
city. Within few months past, however, he had
not observed any pork of this description among
the freight.
We have made inquiry at the City Inspectors
office concerning diseased pork arriving in the city
from places in the vicinity, but he had not traced
any to the New Jersey railroads. 1t was Mr.. Nor
tons opinion that most OF the diseased pork that is
brought to the city is either salted down before it ar
rives here, taken Immediately its arrival to the
sailing and packing houses. Most of it probably is
sent out of the city; there parties here who hold
large contracts for suppl wing bacon to the British
troops stationed in the West Indies and elsewhere:
much is sold for on shipbOard, and the commod-
lty Is largely exported.
Still, it is undoubtedly true that great deal of
dubious ham and bacon is consumed in this city,
and how much of it is fit to eat very few of the
consumers can tell The dressed hogs which we see
carried through the streets on carts daily, are
brought into the city and conveyed to their final
destinations without inspection. Where any Of
them unfit for food, the fact can only be aseer
tanned by extraordinary vigilance on the part of the
City Inspector and his officers who sometimes have
cognizance OF cases in which their interference is
necessary and make seizures; but if each barge and
freight car which brings pork to New York were
inspected, the City Inspector says it would take a
great many more men to perform the work than he
has at his disposal.
The Judges in Virginia are ruling apainst the
farmers who claim damages from Railroad Comma
nies, for loss of cattle, (ed BY locomotives left
in an open field, through which the Railroads run
William Cullen Bryant is still detained at Naples
by the illness of Mrs. Bryant who, though gradu /;
ally improving in health, is not yet well enough I
to travel.
The schooner Colonel Cook sailed on Wednesday !
from Detroit for Liverpool She has on board !
$4,000 West India slaves (white oak,) and 10000
feet of clear black walnut lumber
No one can now get passport in the Papal (
States unless bis curate certiies to his ''piety.
1t is contemplated to have the Alexandria, Lou
doun and Hampshire Railroad completed to Lees
burg by next winter. !
Edward Everett has returned to Boston, having !
earned for the Mount Vernon ladies S27, ,07s, net