The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1914-02-05

Washington, D. c., Feb. 2, 1914
The Department of Agriculture, dur
ing the past year, has been conduct
ing campaigns in Indiana, Missouri,
Iowa and Nebraska to control the
contagious disease of hogs known as
hog cholera" by means of anti-hog-
cholera serum and farm guarantees.
In one county (Pettis county, Missouri
where there was loss of Is per cent
all hogs raised, there was only q
loss Of 14.7 per cent up to November,
1918. This decrease was due to the
use of the serum, which, although
not used there by the Departments
agents until August, 1918, materially
reduced the loss. About $1,000 hogs
were raised during the past year and
of the 10000 that died of the hog
cholera only about 1000 were lost
after the active use of serum and
quarantine measures were inaugurated.
In every county where these mea-
sures were employed, even though
begun after the disease had continued
its ravages for some time, there was
less loss from hog cholera than in
either of the two preceding years.
In addition to it's great function
as a preventive, it has been found
that the antihog- cholera serum would
cure a large proportion of hogs in
the early stages Of the disease and
render them immune after recovery.
However, if hogs are not treated by
this serum, from Is to 100 per cent
of all affected herds, die. This serum.
SO far as is known, is the only thing
that will prevent the disease.
OF hogs actually sick when treated.
the Departments inspectors lost but
Is per cent during the past summer
OF we'll hogs in diseased herds. 2.8
per cent died after being treated and
per cent died after being inoculated
with the serum. In an infected herd
there is always certain proportion
of hogs that are we'll.
The inspector examines the hogs
when he arrives, takes the tempera-
ture Of all hogs in the herd and sepa-
rates the sick from the we'll The
temperature is an indication of the
sickness. The temperature of a
sick hog, unless the hog is near death,
will run above 104 degrees and some
times as high as 107 or 1OS degrees
Some states are engaged in the
manufacture of serum to cure this
disease. This serum requiring special
treatment to preserve it's quality and
qualified man to produce it. Suffi-
cient serum to treat an average hun
dred-pound hog costs about thirty
cents at liberal estimate! The treat
ment is by hypodermic injection.
The Department in initiating it's
campaign against the devastating hog
disease has only been able to COM
mence in few of the districts
where the cholera was the most wide
spread and where the active co-opera-
ton of the state was offered in
enforcing the ordinary quarantine
measures, etc.
The object of the Department has
been to endeavor to control the dis
ease and if possible, to eliminate it
from the country. To secure this
end the best efforts of the farmer him
self are necessary. The campaign
against this devastating sickness dur
ing 1918 was planned in the territory
selected along three lines.
l. The education and organization
of the farmers in the districts sell
ected, to be carried out primarily by
the State College.
2. The enforcement Of sanitation
and restrictive regulations by the
state veterinarian.
8. Active supervision by the Bureau
of Animal Industry of the Depart
ment and the incubation of diseased
herds and exposed herds with the
antihog- cholera serum.
A county in each state was selected
as a unit and the method of work
in that county was, briefly, for the
State College to secure the co-opera-
ton of intelligent, active farmers in
each township in the county. These
men were called volunteer assistants
and they were to keep in close COM
munication with the Departments in
spector stationed in that area, keep
ing him informed Of conditions and