The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-03-23
farm aud Gardem.
conducted by DR.. THOMAS POLLARD, State
Commissioner of Agriculture
Report of the United States Commis.
sioner of Agriculture.
(Contlnued.)

doses, interspersing it with other matter
less their mental digestion might be over
tasked. We were commenting in our
last on contagious diseases of animals,
and had dismissed pleuro- pneumonia.
hog cholera or swine plague is no less
formidable a malady 1t is estimated
that the loss from this disease in the
United States sums up annually from
fifteen to taoenty millions of dollars
Which is greater loss than from pleuro-
pneumonia, because the disease is much
more extensive, having spread over 90
States and territories. The prospects of
stamping" out the disease are very I'M
favorable, unless the United States Gov
eminent would undertake it, by large APP
preparations. Besides the direct loss men
toned, the indirect loss is great by the
interruption of our trade in European
markets, where our salt and smoked
meats have been prohibited entry and
sale at ports where remunerative trade
was carried on. Added to these evils, is
another; it is we'll known that entire herds
OF swine have been slaughtered and
thrown on the market as soon as it was
known that the disease has made its APP
pearance among them. The idea is re-
voting to eat such meat, and no doubt
sickness In the human has thus been pro-
duced. The writer has not had much
experience in this malady. 1t has been
all around him on adjoining farms, but
his hogs have attributable in
all probability to the use of variety of
food, scarcely an exclusive corn diet ever
being used. In the winter, turnips, bran,
&C., are fed along with corn; and now,
artichokes are given them daily, as they
are dug from the ground, where they
have kept perfectly during the winter.
We have before expressed the opinion
that artlchokes make valuable feed for
hogs, and perhaps for COWS, on which we
are now trying them. Both hogs and
COWS eat them freely Analysis proves
them nearly equal in nutritive value to
Irish potatoes and more can be produced
per acre than of any other crop, certain
ly great deal more than of any other
root crop. Hog cholera appears to me
to partake more of the nature of typhoid
fever in the human than of any other dis
ease. Dlarrhea In the cases [ have seen,
while not symptom in the early stages,
invariably came on in the later stages,
and we are very much disposed to think
the disease is Castro enterite," as the
French call Typhoid Fever" English
g" Castro enteritis," or Inflammation of the
stomach and bowels.
About eighteen months since, by re-
quest of a farmer in Henrico, near Rich
mond, we visited his farm to inspect his
hogs suffering from Hog Cholera" We
found several suffering from the disease,
and two which had recently died from
1T, very fine Berkshire hogs. Wepro-
ceeded to make a post-mortem" exami-
nation of them. A careful inspection ex-
hibited very extensive inflammation of
the stomach and bowels, throughout al
most the whole alimentary canal-ex-
tensive Castro -enteritis, more extensive
than we had ever seen in the human. in
typhoid fever, or in any other malady
after witnessing many such examinations
What was particularly noticeable, was
the increased and intensified infamma-
ton about the Ileo-coecal valve" (the
Junction of the large and small intestines)
the veritable seat of typhoid fever Sew
eral of the hogs of this farmer which
were staggering about, almost unable to
stand, we advised to be slaughtered, and
the sick and well to be entirely sepa-
rated, and told him if another case oc.
CURED on his farm, to blister the whole
abdomen in the early stages by rubbing
IN blistering salve, first warming it, and
to give spirits turpentine Is drops three
times day, and stimulants of whiskey
by drenching, if the animal became weak
and staggering He afterwards told me
that he had no fresh cases, but that the
disease invaded the herd of one of his
neighbors soon afterwards, and that he
used the blistering freely over the first
hog attacked, and that it recovered
Whether this was "post hoe or propter
hoe, coincidence or effect, we cannot sew.
But in "hog cholera" as now advised
If we attempted treatment at all, We
should use the same remedies as in ty-
phoid fever or Castro enteritis of the
human. If the animal has severe symp-
toms, we would kill at once. In very
valuable hogs, we would probably at
tempt treatment, unless the symptoms
were severe. This disease. is very con.
tagious, and strict quarantine of the
sick should be observed.
The veterinary surgeons say it is con
tagious more through the secretions and
through abraded surfaces on well hogs
than by contact, or through the atmos-
phere. The dissertation on contagious