The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-03-27
HOG CHOLERA AND BLAcK-LEo.
An Interesting Letter From Distin-
4 suIshed Stock Breeder.

Il
The following letter by Hon. John
Wentworth to the Chicago Press, tells
of the success which has attended his
efforts to modify the ravages OF the
above-named diseases:
Il see in the newspapers accounts of
great losses by our farmers from both
of these causes. l have been great
loser from both of them, ard am not
a believer in the possibility of curing
either of them after they have affected
an animal. But they can be prevented
and should be.
I'm the case of hog cholera. we have
this to guide us: Single hogs, or even
small lots of half dozen, kept by one
man, are seldom affected. At any rate.
the disease was never known to origi-
nate with such.
Il have tried all sorts of medicines.
patent and otherwise, and consulted
all sorts of physicians, whether sailing
under the name of regular practitioners
or veterinary surgeons or farriers.
When hear of the approach of the
cholera / think it is a good time
to send my aged hogs to the stock
yards. and, as keep none but
the Suffolks, l consider myself ready
for the market If your Suffolks are
not as fat as they could be. few days
extra feeding can make them SO. But
if the cholera is fast approaching YOU
should not wait for the advantage of
the extra feeding.
Zone year ago the cholera seized
upon the young pigs upon
which l relied for INV next
years stock of hogs. / had tried all
the remedies in vain. At last loaded
all had in carts and landed them one
in place all over my farm, and left
them to die or come home in their own
time. My loss from these was merely
nominal. l found in getting on their
track afterward that they all sought
fresh earth. They gave plowed land
the preference, and chewed a great deal
OF DIRT. Ever since have resorted to
this plan, and have come to the con-
clus.o on that the best preventive for the
cholera is new pasture and fresh earth.
Some of my neighbors that have not so
much land as have have carried their
L AOSS SOkAC 0tStouCC away dno olODRC0
them in the public roads. leaving them
to work their passage home after get
ting fresh supply of the earth from
the roads. do not say that this will
prove sure preventive with all breeds
of hogs. only speak for the Suffolks,
which have raised for the last twen-
ty-five years. This mode of prevention
is q cheap and harmless one. In our
Western country, where the farms are
so large, there ought to be more room
given to hogs if people wish to make
money out of them.
From 1855 for ten years, when was
FIRST starting my herd of shorthorn cat
tie, was great sufferer from what
was known as black-leg, or quarter evil,
in my young cattle, especially in my
calves. 1t was hard to lose young ami
mails that cost me from $3.50 to $500 at
the East SO suddenly.
| Then, again, herders would send to
me from distance cows with sucking
calves by their sides These calves
would go the way of my own, and peo-
pie could not understand what the dis
ease was that had broken out among
my cattle. read the books and con-
| suited all known authorities and APP
| piled all sorts of remedies, but made
no Roadway. Whenever q calf began
/ to limp made up my mind that it was
| Of all the animals that died showed one
condition of things-namely, stagna-
ton of the blood. The blood was
clothed and black. In many instances
l tried to preserve the animal by bleed
ing and rubbing. but upon examination
found that the blood was stagnated
too near the heart to be affected. At
last l made up my mind that would
study prevention, and / at once
changed, SO far as could. the pasture
of my cattle. / also drove them at
pretty swift rate two or three miles
each day. In order to give the blood
Q start, I bled them slightly and put a
seton or rowel in their brisket, and
stirred it every day or two. Ny theory
was that the blood must be kept in
more active circulation.
"A German farmer asked me why /
bled and roweled by young calves.
told him it was done to prevent the
black-leg. He said he had q better way
than that. He told me to vaccinate
| tuC1u WIN SoAAN uACCuy uuucE
where the tail joined the body. After
that made an incision and inserted .
piece of garlic root about twice as
large as . pea and bound it in. It
operated the same IS vaccination in tho
human person. There was q sore there
in about ten days, and it matterated
quite extensively. While the sore was
running it was easy TO see that there
was more or less fever running through
the animals affected. and there was q
scar left something like that left upon
the arm Of vaccinated person.
Il kept up for several years my own
remedy and that of the German.
Whether it was one or both that did the
work, have prevented black-leg from
affecting my herd. Several Of my
Western customers inform me that
they have successfully. tried both Of
these plans on my suggestion.
JOHN WENTWORTH"