Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-11-04
Elm Grove Stock Farm,

Elm GrOVe STOCK faTn,
* Oct. 20. 1913
Editor Courier: ~
u, Upon my arrival home yesterday,
was handed copy Of your valuable
paper containing an article from the
pen of my esteemed friend. DR.. Lowry
written just after I had left home fol
trip south. His excuse for rushing
headlong into print. he says, was de-
sire to Offset the evil influence which
! might exert over his hog raising
friends in Wapello county and to save
them from the financial loss sure to
follow should they be influenced into
vaccinating their hogs.
We are truly sorry that the good doc
tor made such bad break. Personally
we would prefer to pass it up and keep
silent but duty calls for q reply. We
are more than sorry that the good doc
tor should himself advertise the fact
to the farmers Of Wapello county that
he is a veritable Rip Van Wrinkle and
years.
Hog cholera made its first appear
ance in the United States as a v1rulent
epidemic in 1888 decimating the herds
throughout Ohio and since that time
has ragged continuously in some part
OF OtISE Oh lHo OHlLSu 0IdLoS Will
more or less virulence and the annual
loss has been estimated at from TWEEN
ty-f1ve to forty million dollars and as
high as from sixty to hundred million
dollars some seasons, notably among
bad years are 1912 and 1913.
Is it any wonder that pork is high
Is it any wonder that thousands OF
farmers have gone bankrupt raising
hogs and is it any wonder that Fake
Remedy companies have waxed fat on
the misfortunes Of the hog raisers az
they were ready to grasp any straw
that promised relief? Neither is 1t any
wonder that the government took hold
Of it and spent hundreds Of thousands
Of dollars searching for a preventative
Of hog cholera and when at last they
shouted Eureka" a new era was OPEN
ed up to the hog raisers of the United
States, but the quack remedy fake1
and the old school doctor were still
abroad in the land and they did not
propose to give up their picking with
out fight. But the good work went
on and the United States perfected
their formula and gave it to the scien-
tiflc world, and put the stamp Of APP
prival Of the u. 8. department Of agri-
culture upon it and the agricultural
colleges Of the different states, after
testing it out thoroughly, also accepted
it, and today, most Of the states will
not permit swine to be taken to the
state fair unless vaccinated.
1t has also spread to all foreign
countries that raise hogs and some OF
them, notably Austria Hungary, has
compulsory vaccination.
Verify, is 1t not about time for rip
to wake up? But he says he knows of
hogs that have died after being vac
cinated and he also knows Of hogs that
have lived that never were vaccinated
Very true, doctor, but as the boy said
There Is always a why for every
thing"
First, there has no doubt been fake
serum companies as we'll as fake rem
edy companies. Next d great many
farmers have neglected to vaccinate
until their hogs were sick but ninety
per cent Of the loss has come from al
lowing ignorant and incompetent op-
orators to handle the serum and virus
and have been told recently by re-
liable companies that they positively
refuse to allow their serum to be used
by any one but up-to-da graduated
veterinarians.
I wish to say in, conclusion that
have no interest in any serum company
and have no axe to grind and also that
the merits of vaccination are not 8
belief" with me as the good doctor
asserts, but proven fact and believe
it will not be long before the govern
ment will resort to compulsory vaccin-
alton as has already been done In Aus
tria Hungary.
J. f. Clarke.