Omaha daily bee., 1892-01-10

this Illinois farmer has been able TO teach
The chief OF the bureau Of animal industry
something he had no knowledge OF previously,
viz, that the strongest virus cannot be used
with impunity. The government has also
learned something else at Ottawa, aud that
Is that all artificially atteuuated virus will
not protect at all, for their own hogs are
dying. While | greatly regret that so many
OF MIR. Cadweil's hogs have succumbed, and
still hope some half dozen may recover, a.
they viii surely stand severe exposure after
wards and thus show incubation to be
possible. Still this nervY experience has
also taught the chief of tho bureau another
thing; for in his last report to
'fhe method of suocutaneous iniec-
tons OF culture liquids containing
hog cholera bacilli, while on the one hand
frnught with possible mot probably danger
OF scattering disease germs whore they do
not originally exist, is nevertheless the
simplest and cheapest method that can be de-
vised for the vaccin alton of animals; these
qualities of simplicity and cheapness are Of
vital Importance in a question which has
only a commercial aspect
Thus you can see how much the govern
ment has learned through this Ottawa exper-
iment:
First. That the strongest virus cannot lie,
and with impunlty.
Second. That such a virus is fraught with
a very possible danger of extending the dis
ease.
Third. That artifcially mitigated virus
cannot be relied upon ut all.
Now n few words on the other side of the
story: | have lnoculated some 80, 900 hogs,
and never in a single instance, that | know
of, has such an accident occurred through
inOCulated hogs as at Ottawa, and there have
teen very few cases in which incubation has
not protected. True, / failed completely in
protecting hogs that were fed on glucose re-
fuse, but that was due to the glucose and not
the incubation. Hogs fed on dIstiliery Stops
can be protected by idoCulation. Every one
who is acquainted with the true facts knows
that those herds reported as killed at Sur
prise, Neb., in 1888, were all diseased at the
time they were inoculated. This year
over 5000 hogs have been inoculated in
Nebraska, and today | sent out virus
for 800 more, but with some regrets, as /
fear its injury and the possibility oil its being
frozen. Or the 5000 | do not know of one
beng injured by incubation, though one
such case in sucking pigs is reported, and
one failure in tho Same herd; the pigs |
doubt, as five other lots OF pigs were inocu-
lated at the same time with the same virus
ana they all died; the failure | know the
cause of, and have learned to avoid IT in the
future. In February every lnGn will be
written TO and a full report published, and
their letters open to your correspondent and
the public. | know now that many OF tho
herus have been exposed and stood
severe tests to the eminents atisfationo ftheir
owners. In no case have any hogs been
some on already infected farms.
AS to incubation causing the disease when
suitable virus is selected, we have the un.
fact that all the farms where inocu-
has been steadily carried on in Me-
braska for at least three years are now free
from disease, while in othor cases several
large feeders who only inoculated last year
are just now losing their hogs and regret
did not lnoculate last fall, rs for years
previously they had failed to market u car
load Of hogs. Nothing human is perfect, but
one thing is as sure rs death and taxes and
is, that in time incubation will be made
a practical success in Nebraska and save
of dollars to the farmers of the
state, and it will not be u means of spreading
the disease nor of killing hogs either. Thank
ing you for your courtesy. | am yours,
FRANK >. BILLINGS.