The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-02-21
HOG CHoLERA--=No. 3.
BY Dr.. M. II. Reynolds, Mime
sofa University Farm.
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Farmers who will bear in mind
what was said in Article No. 1, con-
cerniHs the cause and infectious ma
ture of hog-cholera, will readily under
stand that there are very many ways
O. scattering the disease. They should
also understand that most of these
ways are easily avoided It is es-
pecially important to remember that
the especially infectious thing about
a natural hog-cholera outbreak is the
manure of affected hogs. The blood
is, of course, virulent and capable of
spreading the disease. but 1t is not
conceivable that blood, as such and
apart from pieces Of carcass, very
commonly serves as source Of dis
semination. The manure contami-
mates yards. pastures, pens, feeding
floors, troughs, ponds and streams
Anyone walking through such yards
or pens may easily pick up enough in
lection, on shoes and clothing, to
start a number of outbreaks on differ
ent farms.
In a general way we may say that
hog-cholera virus consists of minute
particles of living matter, and that
these particles may be carried in many
ways that other very minute particles
of matter can be carried. So far as
we know, the virus is not carried any
distance by the air, excepting perhaps
that it may be carried upon bits of
straw or ether yard litter.
Practically all parts of, the car
casses of diseased hogs are infectious;
so, when the family dog brings home
piece of dead hog from an infected
farm, he usually starts an outbreak
of cholera at home. -
People living on farm where hogs
are kept should always avoid pens
and yards on other farms where hogs
are sick from any disease, and should
avoid going into public stock-yards.
Many an outbreak has been started
from wagon-rack which has been
used to help haul the neighbor's hogs
to town after disease had appeared in
the neighbours yards. 1t may be a
friendly thing to help neighbor get
his hogs to market as soon as possible
in some cases, but it is always dan.
gerous thing for the man who has
healthy hogs at home
Hog-cars and stock-yards should be
considered as always infectious so far
as hog-cholera is concerned. For this
reason it is never safe to bring in hogs
by rail to a farm or neighborhood
where susceptible hogs are kept.
There are always two chances of in
lection for such cases. First, as the
hogs are driven through the stock
yards for loading and unloading; and,
second, the car in which they are
shipped may have carried to market.
for its last load, lot of sick hogs.
Running streams and small lakes
very commonly serve as the means of
spreading infection. The writer has
in his office an interesting map show
ing that practically all hog-cholera
outbreaks for a certain year, in Min
nesota, followed closely along, the
Minnesota river.
1t is not uncommon for farmers, who
have hogs dying from this disease
during the fall and winter, to haul
them out upon the ice or some marsh
and leave them there, expecting the
water to carry them away in the
spring and save them the inconven-
fence of burying or burning. That is
just what happens; the ice melts and
the carcasses are carried off down
some little stream, and may scatter
infection for many miles. The man
who does this, understanding what is
likely to occur, is doing something that
is little short of criminal The law
distinctly orders other disposition of
carcasses of hogs that die of any di-
sease, as will be shown in a subse-
que1t article.
The extent to which birds spread
cholera can not be known. It would
seem possible for them to scatter this
disease easily and rapidly; but actual
experience does not seem to support
such view. It would probably be a
fair statement to say that birds may
and occasionally do carry infection
which leads to fresh outbreaks OF
cholera.