The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-07-12

ALL ABOUT HOG CHOLERA.

ALL ABOUT HOG CHOLERA.
Last week we promised to give THE
PROGRESSIVE FARMER readers q talk on
the above sub act. Our article may
seem ratherlong, but the Importance
of the subject will. We hope, excuse US.
This dread disease, hog cholera, is
rapidly Spreading throughout Michi-
gan, and the Experiment Station of
that State is receivinga food Of letters
seeking information about its cause
and the best means OF combating it.
DE-. George A. Waterman, consulting
veterinarian of that station, after
studying all the publications Of the
National Government on the subject,
as well as the bulletins Of the expert.
ment stations of Nebraska, Iowa, lndi-
ana, Arkansas and other States, has
issued well digested summary Of all
that ie known on the subject, as bulIe-
tin No. 157. of Michigan Station.
While hog cholera and swine plague
are different diseases. they so often ex-
ist at the same time in the same ami
NAL, and their results are 80 nearly the
same, it is not Of much Importance to
notice their difference, but it lie j lst as
we'll, for all practical purposes, to treat
them as one and Che same disease.
Each is caused by a specific germ or
virus that finds entrance into the body
in the food, drink, or air. These germs
are so small that the eye cannot detect
their presence except when aided by
powerful microscope.
AS it has been well settled by scien-
tific investigation that these and all
other disease germs are produced from
parent germs previously existing, and
that none Of them are spontaneously
originated without such parent seed
germs, il is evident that in order to
have an attack Of hog cholera the virus
of the disease must be introduced into
the herd in some manner. A study Of
some of the ways by which the virus
is carried from place to place will bet
ter enable US to understand how to
| prevent Gn9 disease:
The air is medium by which the
germs OF most diseases pass from place
to place and so it is in hog cholera and
the spread Of the disease IN this way
is hard to hold in check. Streams
furnish means of conveying the virus
from place to place. The water of en-
entire stream is often polluted by hog
cholera in some herd which has access
to it. Ponds, especially If fed from
streams from other farms, are source
of contagion. Dogs and other small
animals, that roam at will, may carry
in the dirt upon their feet the virus, if
it so happens that they pass through q
yard or field where an affected herd
is kept, or If they find the carcass Of
an animal which died from the disease
and has careIessly been left lying
where they can get at it. Crows and
other carrion birds may also be the
means Of conveying the disease in the
same way. Euyers going from drove
to drove, or visitors, may spread the
disease. The introduction Of new
stock into the herd is always fraught
with more or less danger, especially If
they have been shipped on the rail-
road. All new stock should be quar-
antined upon another part Of the farm
for five or six weeks before placing
them in the herd. Railroads spread
the disease by carrying infected ami
mails. For this reason fields bordering
upon railroads may be looked upon
with suspicion for the pasturing OF
hogs.
The time elapsing after the animals
are exposed, or the germs are intro
duced into the herd, before the disease
manifests itself, varies from four or
five days, to three or four weeks.
The symptoms of hog cholera are
somewhat variable. In some cases il
takes very acute form, the animals
living only day or 60; while at other
times it may run q lingering course Of
three or four weeks. La sonse out
breaks quite large per cent 0f the
cases will recover; while at other times
nearly every animal affected win sue.
cumb. At times those that recover
viii do well, growing and fattening
nicely, and again they will seem to be
stunted and never amount to much.
Generally the first symptom noticed
is that the animal refuses his feed to Q
f