The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-01-27
CHOLERA
In Hogs To Be Fought By
Government
The Plans For The Combat
Are Given Out
And A Decrease In The
Disease Is Expected

Washington, ID. O., Jan. 26-The De
partment of Agriculture, during tn,
past year, has been conducting cam
paigns in Indiana, Missouri, Iowa ant
| Nebraska to control the contagious
disease of hogs known as hog chol
era" by means of anti-hog-cholerf
serum and farm quarantines. In one
county (Pettis county, Missouri
| where there was loss of 18 per cent
in 1911 and 25.6 per cent In 1912 Of
all hogs raised, there was only loss
of 14.7 per cent up to November 1913
This decrease was due to the use Of
the serum, which, although not used
there by the Departments agents un
til August, 1918, materially reduced
the loss. About 10000 hogs were
raised during the past year and of the
10000 that died of the hog cholera
only about 1000 were lost after the ac-
tive use of serum and quarantine
measures were inaugurated.
In every county where these meas
ures were employed, even though be-
gun after the disease had continued
it's 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
G preventive, it has been found that
the anti-hog-choler serum would cure
large proportion of hogs in the
early stages of the disease and rem
der them immune after recovery.
However, if hogs are not treated by
this serum, so far as is known, is the
only thing that will prevent the di-
sease. ttc
Of hogs actually sick when treated,
the Departments inspectors lost but
% per cent during the past summer.
OF we'll hogs in diseased herds, 2.S per
cent died after being treated and of
hogs in exposed herds less than l per
cent died after being inoculated with
the serum. In an infected herd there
is always certain proportion of
hogs that are well.
The inspector examines the hogs
when he arrives, takes the tempera-
ture of all hogs in the herd and sep
arates the sick from the well. The
temeprature is an indication of the
sickness. The temperature of sick
hog, unless the hog is near death, will
run above 1O4 degrees and sometimes
as high as 107 or 10S degrees F.
Some States are engaged in the
manufacture of serum to cure this
disease. This serum requires special
treatment to preserve it's quality and
a qualified man to produce it. Suffici-
ent 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 its
campaign against the devastating hog
disease has only been able to CON-
mence in few of the districts where
the cholera was the most widespread
and where the active cooperation of
the State was offered in enforcing the
ordinary quarantine measures etc.
The object of the Department has
teen to endeavor to control the di-
sease and if possible, to eliminate it
from the country. To secure this end
the best efforts of the farmer himself
are necessary. The campaign against
this devastating sickness during 1918
was planned in the territory selected
along three lines.
/. The education and organization
of the farmers in the districts select
ed, to be carried out primarily by the
State College.
2. The enforcement of sanitation
and restrictive regulations by the
State veterinarian.
3. Active supervision by the Bureau
of Animal Industry of the Department
and the incubation of diseased herds
and exposed herds with the anti-hog-
cholera serum.
A county in each State was selected
as unit and the method of work in
that county was, briefly, for the State
College to secure the cooperation of
intelligent, active farmers in each
township in the county. These men
were called volunteer assistants and
they were to keep in close communica-
ton with the Departments conditions
and securing statistics concerning the
hog industry. In this manner CON
aitions were pretty well learned in
the territory under inspection. When
an outbreak of hog cholera was re-
ported the Departments inspector
went to that outbreak and saved all
the hogs he could by treatment with
serum. AS the disease is very easily