Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-03-29
ANOTHER VERSION OF hog CHOLERA

The Writer Does Not Agree With Doctor
| Porter.
EDITOR CENsoR:-In this weeks issue
OF your much esteemed paper, find an
article on the care OF swine from the
pen of our old friend,C. v. Porter. He
gives us some very good hints as to the
care of hogs, so as to avoid the infection
of the dreaded disease known as hog
cholera. He truly says hog cholera is
germ disease and may be carried 20 a
farm by almost any number Of different
ways and even the careful farmer may
be so unfortunate IS to have his hogs
| infected without being able to satisfac-
to'ily account for it. Brother Porter
tells us to rise mp and stamp out the
disease, but does not tell us how to do
it, but says that it is virtually incur
able; in other words, separate the in
fected ones, turn them out to die and
give them decent burial. That is all very
well. but not pleasant to man with
nice drove Of hogs almost ready for
market. Whst the farmers want to
know is way to stamp out the disease
and restore a drove of hogs to their
normal health with very little il any
loss. / am aware that this is taking
direct issue with Mr. Porter's statement
that hog cholera cannot be cured, but /
maintain that it can, and further, that
when once understood farmers will cease
to fear it. Here are few simple mex
pensive directions that il faithfully fol.
lowed will Danish hog cholera from any
farm and keep it away. To begin with
hogs crave charcoal, lime, limestone and
ashes and all forms of mineral substances
that come in their way, and il they can
have plenty of these things with pure
clean water and a constant change of food
as we'll as dry comfortable pens, very little
sickness of any kind will trouble them
Ii hogs cannot get lime they will gnaw
the pointing out of a wall and even the
wall itself, if made of lime stone. There
fore buy the very best unslacked lime
in the market and plenty of it and keep
it in the yards and pens in sufficient
quantity to burn out all the offensive
odors and dry and sweeten both the
soil and flooring. / repeat, do not use
it niggsrdly, but with free hand. and
always keep good strong box OF
couple of bushels capacity full of ashes
and salt, in the proportion of three parts
ashes to one Of salt, in convenient place
easy OF access, also see The: the noEs
have plenty of charcoal; make it fo-
them by burning some small limbs of
trees, small enough.so that they will be
interested in trying to eat them entirely
ur, and if your hogs actually have hog
cholera you must get charcoal down
them in large quantity, and the only
way to do that is to char ear corn, which
can be done best by throwing it down
on the ground 10 a heap, mixed with
small limbs of trees, set fire to the wood
and turn out your hogs to the feast,
and while the corn is yet hot and smok
ing, fork it out and let them eat all they
want of it, and do the same thing again
and again from day to day, and my
word for it very few hogs will die.
Of course all yards and pens where
hogs are kept should be ecrupulously
clean and thoroughly disintscted. Give
them chance to be healthy with plenty
of pure air, clean water and good bed,
and above all, when they are growing,
plenty of exercise. In feeding hogs too
little attention is given to proper
change Of diet. The old idea, most any
thing will do for hog and in most any
way, is too commonly practiced. I re-
gard swill as an abomina ion, except for
young pigs, and wet feed is it's twin
brother. Feed your hogs while grow
ing some good form of ground feed,
preferably oats and barley, half and
half or wheat shorts, but never ground
foul seeds il you can possibly help it
Do not feed either clear corn meal,
shelled corn or corn in the ear until the
last third of the fattening process. Corn
is rich in starch and too forcing for
growing pig and 10 effect by over stimu
lating, especially with unsound, unripe
corn, hog cholera is invited. Ground
feed should always be fed dry with q
chance to get drink of good water,
not to near nor nearer than one hundred
feet if 1t can be SO arranged. The
reason is plain. Feeding dry compels
hog to eat slowly and thoroughly masti-
cate the food and not bolt it as is the
case with wet stuff. By having the water
at little distance forces the hog to
first eat and then drink, just as it should
be. Corn is great cereal and the
American farmer would be lost without
it, but the present way Of using it in
relation to feeding hogs is very much
against his interest. The product of
Canadian fed hogs, where corn is not
much in evidence, brings in the open
market % to 40 per cent more than
does the same kind of goods made from
hogs raised on this side. 1t is also our
system of feeding that has caused the
hue and cry raised in Europe against
our hog products. What is wanted is a
dry fed, cleanly kept, and above all,
healthy hog of not over $50 pound
weights bacon hog that is just the
right mixture of lean and fat that the
right system of feeding will produce
Such hog will always bring the best
price in the market, and any buyer
knows that the shrinkage on his hand Z.
will be very little. 1t is no honor to a
man to take lot of big, over-grown
hogs to market so fat that they cannot
see out of their eyes. Such hog is
only fit for lard and has TO compete with