Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-05-18
Hog Cholera.

Hog cholera and its correlative dis
ease, swine plague, may be consider
ed as one, for, although each has for
its cause different bacteria, the symp-
toms of both are similar, and the medi-
cal agents which will destroy one
class of these germs will destroy the
other; hence, for the sake of brevity,
It Is not necessary to mention both
when referring to the subject. The
trouble affects hogs in all parts of the
United States, causing an annual loss
of swine in value variously estimated
at $4,000 to $4,000. The disease is
usually epidemic in the swine States of
the West and sporadic in all of the
Eastern and Southern States. The
reason for this is well established in
my mind, after several years of in
quiry and observation. Most farmers
In the corn belt grow hogs, many of
them having herds of several hundred.
How or when cholera first got among
them is not known, but once there it
readily propagated in the same was as
yellow fever propagated in Cuba. The
germs of both are very tenacious of
life. They may he dormant for months,
or years, and then spring into active
life whenever suitable conditions oc-
cur.
Hog cholera germs may be conveyed
ON the feet of men and animals, by
running water and by wind for miles.
1t is not a matter for surprise that the
disease has become permanent resi-
Gent of the swine States. The reason
FOR its sporadic action in the East and
South is that the number of hogs is
very small, comparatively, and the con-
ditions in which they exist are less
conducive to the inception of the dis
ease than in the corn belt, where the
animals are crowded and their systems
weakened by an all-corn diet and too
often filthy environment. But how
does the disease reach the East and
South? The answer will be a surprise
to most persons, but l have studied
this question long enough to be salts
fled that l am correct. The germs of
the disease are conveyed from the
West bound up in smoked meats Of the
nOuStS. 10 IL idCt, wei
known by swine men of the West,
that when cholera attacks a fattening
herd there those animals not having
yet come down with the disease are
shipped to slaughter-house at once,
as rule, to save the total loss of them.
Some of these hogs have the disease
germs within them in the process of in
cubation. Some Of this meat Is made
into bacon, hams and shoulders, and
shipped away to market. Sailing and
smoking do not kill the germs. When
this smoked meat is about to be eaten,
the rind and dirt-stained parts are
thrown into the swilltub, and thence
they go into the hogpen, if one keeps
hogs; but If not, and the meat con-
sumner resides in village or inland
city, there is generally some swill-
gatherer about, who conveys it home
and feeds ii to his hogs, thus inoculat-
ing them with the dread disease. l
have traced these things several times
twice in Pennsylvania, once at a
large summer hotel in the Catskill
Mountains and once at Ithaca. West
ern smoked meats were eaten ut all
OF these places, and the trimmings fed
10 hogs. Three or four years ago the
Elmira Reformatory lost most of its
hogs by cholera.
A year or two ago the Oneida Coun-
IS Hospital at Rome, had similar trou-
bic. Not long ago cholera was raging
at Geneseo, n Y, and 1t Is reported
that the Soldiers Home, at Bath, lost
by cholera 1OS hogs from it's herd of
400. have not learned whether West
ern smoked meats were used at the
four last-named places or not, but 1t Is
very likely that they were. / would
not for anything wantonly injure the
erik market but If pork-growers con-
tnue to ship hogs to packers that have
been exposed to cholera, and packers
are too careless about the matter, the
trade ought to be injured. To prevent
such pork rinds from communicating
the disease to hogs that eat them, first
cook the rinds thoroughly. Should
this he done i'm every case, IL is quite
ceI tain that there would be no more
cholera i'm the Eastern States.-Galen
Wilson in the New York Tribune.