Evening star., 1898-10-31
THE INOCULATtON OF SWINE
Serum Prepared by b. Salmon as Proteo-
tion Against Cholera.
Method Employed in Producing and
1uE u.
Applying the ReMedy-Texas
Fever Among Cattle.

AhO ooA I'LL iAdOo unueT- lNe QlTSCtlOu VI
DR.. D. E. Salmon. chief of the bureau of
| animal Industries Of the Department of Ag-
riculture. for the inoculation of swine ex-
posed to or afflicted with the dreaded hog
cholera in its early stages is accomplishing
remarkable results. Before 1t was used the
mortality among a herd of hogs ran as
high as so. per cent. but only 25 per cent
fail to respond to the protecting quality Of
the fluid.
This year marks the first effort on a large
scale by DR.. Salmon to wipe out the chol-
era bacilli. The serum Is made at the de-
partment's station at Benning and a large
number of horses are employed. Young an
fmais are preferred, and after they become
,horougniy NOR , nocuiated and accustomed their
lFes move On as smoothly as before being
put 10 such uses, and they live to the age
allotted them without greater Inconvenience
sionally.
What the origin Of the bacillus is not even
DR.. Salmon knows. 1t Is a veg etable organ
ism, and. entering the blood of hog, 1t
accustoms itself to its new conditions and
becomes parasitic. The white corpuscles in
the oiood periodically attack it and seek not
only 10 or1Ve 1t away, but also to deVour it.
Inc enemy, however, multiplie3 rapidly and
eXcretes poison that soon lays it's victim
10" win 1ever and then comes death.
DR.. SaImon's ExperiIaents.
the anti-toxin method so popular in these
days. That was done by him four or five
years ago, but not until now has 1t been
very generally employed. Last year about
2Io head were inoculated with the serum
ard this year the inspector in Iowa, where
tne dlsease has ragged has SO far made
about LOCO head practically immune.
The serum is produced by drawing the
blood OF an animal having the disease. The
red fluid Is set in pots to cool, and straw
colored liquid separates itself from the
other. This is the serum, and it is removed
and placed in bottles which are well
scaled and stoppered.
Hog cholera has been known to farmers
and scientists for fifty years or more, and
the ant1-toxin treatment is the most sue
oessful up to date. Human beings are not
susceptible to the disease and no case Of
this kind among persons In contact with In
fected animals has ever been observed.
Texas fever among cattle is a disease
that Is fatal in 9o per cent Of the cases,
and it Is not so we'll known as hog cholera.
In fact. there is no remedy for it's cure. 1t
Is not subject to anti-toxin methods be-
cause the bacilli is an animal organism.
There are only two methods of dealing
with it: one is to quarantine the country
against the infected regions and the other
is to dip the diseased cattle N petroleum
oil.
The Infected Territory.
On a wide map Of the United States in
beginning in Southern Virginia and extend
ing in irregular line as far west as the
Indian territory, and thence dropping to
the neighborhood of Texas, from which
state it goes westward to the ocean. This
the quarantine line, and cattle from
ne south can go aboveIit until they have
cen dipped. IN.
Where the organism that kills comes
rom is not known. The disease is not con-
-agious, but 1t has been found that a tick
II insect that lives in the hair of cattle in
he south carries the organism from one
. another. And wherever the tick has
been found in the herds there also, has
Deen found the destroyer that wipes out 30
per cent of Its victims. The only way to
deal with the disease has been to kill the
ticks For this purpose Dr.. Salmon has
established two immense tanks. one in
Texas, the other in Arkansas, their length
being forty feet and their width the size of
a steer. Into these the cattle are dropped
so as to become wholly submerged and the
oil ends the ticks
After dipping cattle having the fever may
be brought with impunity into northern
afflicted unless there is live tick straying
around. 1t has been found that cattle in
the south having the fever when they are
young do not die, but ever afterward enioy
immunity from it. Therefore, in the case
of young northern cattle taken south for
breeding purposes DR.. Salmon proposes to
inoculat, them through the injection of in
fected blood into their veins or by putting
ticks upon them. This will it is expected.
reduce the very great mortality of 95 per
cent to moderate proportions