The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1911-08-03
SOME PREvEN7|VEs
FOR HOS GH0LER
Tens Of Thousands Of Missouri Hogs
Have Been innocuIated Against
Cholera IN the Last Year.

dDOuL LHe most pTOHtaOle IN the WOrlQ
Cholera can not always be- avoided
and it can not often be recognized
until the hogs begin to die. But ii
can be controlled far better by up
to-date methods than it could few
years ago.
Tens Of thousands of Missouri hogs
have been innoculated against cholera
in the last year with the serum made
by the veterinary department OF the
Missouri experiment station. DR.. j,
c. Connoway, who is in charge of the
work, estimates that IS per cent of
all the hogs innoculated are saved
from cholera. In many cases the
serum is used in herds where hogs
are already dying. but even then it
saves most of those not too far gone.
The great results obtained with the
serum have induced some men to 60
into the business commercially, so
that now there are several "immuniz-
ing serums' on the market. As rule
these are either worthless, or worse,
some of them having actually carried
AhA>SeASi iAlo "Sll ACIuc. Hc COSL
of making the real immunizing serum
is so great that it is not yet profit
able commercial proposition
The facilities for producing the
serum at the college are increased
and the work systematized so that
more calls can be answered than for
merly. Still, however, there are more
calls than can we'll be answered.
The process Of making the serum is
rather interesting. but it is the pur-
pose of this article, to suggest some
of the means by which cholera is
spread, and how some of these may
be avoided.
The germs OF cholera do not fly
through the air by themselves, but
must be carried by some actual con-
tact. A dog. cat, rat or any animal
running through an infected hog lot
and going into one uninfected may
carry the disease with it on its feet.
Birds may pick up grains of corn or
other feed in the lot with the diseased
hogs and carry tht disease.
Where hog has died of cholera
and the carcass has been dragged out
to ravine somewhere, there are a
great many dangers Crows or buzz
ards may come to pick on the car
cass. They will take cholera wher-
ever they 60. Dogs may eat the flesh
and scatter the germs far and wide
Other hogs may find the carcass and
pick over it, thus certainly contracting
the disease themselves and probably
injecting a whole herd.
When a rain comes. the old carcass
will be washed over and large
amount of the infection will be car
ried to the nearest stream, there to
go down through the country, dan.
ger to every herd that drinks that
water. Much cholera is carried in
this latter way
The remedies for these various trou.
bles suggest themselves. For the
birds, it is not practical to screen
them out. but some help can be got
ten with a shotgun or scarecrow. 1t
will help If the lots are kept cleaner
than is customary. A vagrant dog
running over a neighborhood is
nuisance anyway, even if he did not
carry cholera.
The matter nf the disposal OF car.
cases is of great importance. A car.
cass should never be dragged out in
the pasture and left to feed buzzards.
1t should either be buried deeply or
~ Nh to
latter is much to be preferred.
Burning a carcass does not mean
simply roasting II with little fire OF
sticks. but actually burning and de-
Itroying 1t. This is the only abso-
lutely sure way of getting all the
germs. It will take a good-sized fire
10 burn large carcass.
When this is done, there is danger {
If the hogs of the neighborhood all
along the creek having cholera on
of the carelessness of one
nan.
It is often advisable to spread air
'laked lime in the pens to kill any ,
terms that may be present or to pre- +
'ent the spread Of them.
In taking hogs to the railroad sta.
ion there are many ways Of spread
ng the disease. II the animals are
riven along the road-as fortunately S
hey are not, usually-the droppings
I the herd may leave infection all
long to be picked up by other hogs, !,
ven though the herd shows no &C.
I've signs of the disease at the time. p
logs should always be hauled to the .
tation in wagons with a tight floor.
nd 1t will help II air-slaked lime is
pread over the floor before loading.
The spread of cholera from infected
ems at the stock yards is too we'll
nown, as 1t has almost stopped the
ealings in stock hogs.
The observance Of some Of these
recautions will lessen the danger Of
preading this dreaded disease. Every
lrmer owes It to himself and his
eighbor to be as careful as he can.
Some men who don't know say that