The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-01-25
4 SERUM FOR HOG CHOLERA.
The Secretary of Agriculture VIII ask
Congress to Make I'm Appropriation
for IFS Careful Manufacture.

for IFS Careful Manufacture.
Washington. Jan. 16.-rhe chief Of
the bureau Of animal industry. Or. II. l..
Salmon. L;is submitted IL Secretary Vii
son i report upon the experiments made
in the treatment OF hogs Tor hog cholera,
with auti-toxine serum. This serum X
made upon the same principle aS the ant
toNiu. II diIhtheria. Good serum his
been obtained from both EorS.~ and cat
lie. a horse or SOW being inocculatrd with
the hog cholera virus III small quantities.
ut first and with larger doses after >ulta-
ble intervals Of time. The resistance ii
the animal i thus raised 10 IN" high
est practicable point. The blood Of such
an animal when injected under the SKIN
of swine has been found IL posses both
4 preventive ami curative action. This
serum was first tested upon small am
mails in the laboratory and being found
eflcacious was last fall tested IN Page
County. Iowa. OF several herds OF swine
containing altogether 2lS nlmaI l.raS-
ing out one herd. from which definite re-
turns as 10 cause of death could not he
obtained, only t%hirty-nine died II 244 an
mails treated. Of which eighty>iN were
sick. Or. Salmon believes that with eN-
perience Il better quality Of serum can IL
prepared anG he has no doubt that this
percentage can be maintained hereafter.
Referring t. this rrfort Secretary Wi
son remarked that undoubtedly the re
suits reported by Or. Salmon were most
encourag ing to hog rai~erS. The cost II
the serum now. said the Secretary. i hGt
ten cents per head of animals treated, on
~ II dozen being required. and doubt
less in course of time this light cost may
still he further reduced.
II -. .. - -A. 1 A. ---.
ry. of the utmos importance that this
serum for the next Year 1T least Ice mace
by the bureau under our own supervision.
and distributed in large quantities in o.
der to demonstrate it~ efficacy upon q
more extended scale. 1t is absolutely eS-
Sential that during the experimental stage
serum Of u~ndOuhted quality be used. Tn
less the hog growers can obtain il from
this department they will be forced 10 de-
pend upon what can be obtained from
private sources. and owing to the novel
~ of this product. not only will diScour-
agingly eXorbitant prices be charged for
If. but in many cases inferior products
may be offered. This would preclude the
possibility Of making Il satisfactory test
on 4 widely extended scale.
Il propose to ask Congress to provide
an appropriation necessary to enable this
w ltii lily II - VI - wv l ~
Of serum during the next year. and 10
make a considerable portion of the APP
preparation Immediately available. it
seems from DR.. Salmon'S report that t
takes three or four months to lnt 4 horse
or COW in condition to supply the serum:
consequently the work upon an extended
scale must be undertaken at once.
The losses from hog cholera are 80
enormous and have weighed so heavily
for years upon our farmers that | cannot
imagine that Congress will for Il moment
hesitate TO make the appropriations nee
eSsary to carry on this work thoroughly.
Indeed. apart from the great stake the
farmers have in this matter. to refuse to
provide for n thorough test of this RENE
dy now would he. indeed. pennywiSe and
pound foolish: for the discovery of this
serum has involved already many years
OF work and a very large sum of money.
1t would be Il great mistake. now that so
great Il discovery seems to have been
made. not to finish the work by giving il
Il thorough and extensive test"