Morris tribune., 1911-01-20

BY Dr.. M. n. Reynolds, Mime
sofa University Farm.
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Hog-cholera can be recognized by
any intelligent farmer. Hog-cholera
can be spread in a great many ways
which are easily understood. Hog
cholera can be produced at will. Hog
cholera can be prevented, and, in re-
cent cases, it can even be treated with
reasonable prospect of cure. Every
farmer who owns hogs should know
these things.
Article No. 2 will deal with symp-
toms shown by sick hogs, and with in
formation to be gained from the dead
carcass.
1t is our purpose to write a series of
short practical articles-lessons they
might be called-the series to cover
all needed practical information. Read
ers who will follow this series intelli-
gently should become Well informed
on the general subject OF hog-cholera.
This disease costs Minnesota, every
year, from few thousands to over
million dollars. In some years we have
little cholera, and in some years it
prevails extensively, in Virulent form.
The farmer who has large invest
ment in hogs is always in danger of
serious losses from this cause, unless
he is intelligently informed concerning
the disease; and in the latter case he
need have no losses at all.
The term "hog-cholera" has become
nd i,
but it should be limited to the disease
which answers to the following de-
scription: 0) 1t must be contagious
by natural exposure. (2) The animal
before death, and the carcass, after
death, must show the general 'bowel,
skin, eye and other symptoms which
have hitherto been accepted as symp-
toms Of hog-cholera. (3) The blood
must be infectious, and capable of re-
producing the same disease by inocula-
tion under the skin Of susceptible
hogs. "a Attack and recovery must
convey permanent immunity.
The disease which answers to these
requirements is what will be referred
to in these articles as true hog-cholera
Cause.
A great many intelligent people be
lieve that hog-cholera is caused by
error in feeding, particularly by too
much corn; but it is easy to prove
that they are wrong. In the past, sci
entific men have believed that hog
cholera was due to a pencil-shaped
germ, so small that millions Of them
could be contained very comfortably
in single drop of blood. Within a
few years, however, it has been shown
that this penCil-shaped germ is prob
ably not the specific cause Of 7lera,
but only an incidental factor; and that
the real cause is a living germ very
many times smaller still-sO small
that it IS invisible to the highest pow
ers Of the microscope. This new
germ is SO small that it passes like
water through laboratory germ-flters.
which we're previously supposed to
sift out all germs.
PredisDOsing causes are not 70 be
ignored for it is very clear that some
hogs are very much more susceptible
than others and that the susceptible
ity depends somewhat upon feed and
care Hogs closely confined, fed large
ly on corn, for example, and receiving
little exercise, are more susceptible
than hogs raised under normal condi-
tions, which give more hardness. It
is we'll understood among hog-chOlera
experts that fat hogs, especially show
hogs. are more susceptible to cholera
than harder hogs in thinner flesh.
This must not give readers the i'm
preston that hOg-cholera can be pro
duced by any kind of feeding or care,
in the absence of infection.
Farmers would not expect mustard
to grow in their wheat-fields without
the previous presence of mustard seed.
No more can hog-cholera appear in a
herd without the previous planting of
hog cholera seed; i. e., the infection,
Outbreaks of cholera differ very
greatly in virulence. In some virulent
outbreaks hogs die with little or no
warning; in other outbreaks the hogs
are sick for several weeks and may
then finally recover. This should not
lead readers into the error OF think
ing that either the virulent or mild
type may not be true cholera.