The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-05-01
RAW SKINNED
MILK FOOT-AND-
MOUTH MEN ACE
Large Number of Hogs Stricken in Pres
ent Outbreak Attributed to This
Cause-Garbage Also May
Be a Carrier to Hogs.

A feature of the present outbreak o
foot.and-mouth disease to which TIN
federal authorities attach much impor
lance is the unprecedentedly large mum
Der Of hogs which have been affected
Both actually and in proportion to thu
total number of animals stricken, this
has been much larger than in any of thu
previous outbreaks in this country. The
chief reason, the authorities say, is the
spread OF the infection through uncooket
skinned milk and other creamery by
hogs Infected garbage, it is thought
is also to be held responsible for por-
ton of the loss.
| In the epidemic of 1902 in which A.
46l animals were lost, only $50 of the
total We're hogs. The loss in cattle
amounted to nearly 81 per cent OF the to-
tai, that in hogs to only per cent, and
in other animals to only 5 per cent.
In the present epidemic however, the
loss in hogs has been almost equal to
that of cattle, each being within frac-
ton OF AZ per cent. Of l46,l38 animals
lost since the outbreak of the disease
in Michigan last fall, 6s,776 were cat
tie; 6S,275 hogs; and the remainder,
9,0S7 sheep and goats. The epidemic of
1908 stands in thi&respect, as well as
in time, midway between those of 1902
and 1914. In 1908, 90 per cent of the loss
was in cattle, 81 per cent in hogs, and
approximately per cent in other ami
mails.
In the opinion of specialists these fig
ures demonstrate the necessity for more
rigid regulations in regard to the feeding
OF skinned milk, similar dairy products
and gathering of garbage. Since 1902
creameries have become more common
and the danger to the country of their
unpasteurized milk to the
farms has become CORRESPONDENCE great
err. In Michigan, it has been definitely
established that in the early days of
The outbreak the infection was spread
through SKINNED milk fed to hogs, and |
here is every reason to believe that the |
same thing occurred in number of 9TH |
,r localities IL is easy to pasteurize |
he skinned milk and the extra expense
S not sufficient to warrant the neglect
II this precaution. Pasteurizatlon has
been shown to be a complete safeguard
Igainst the spread OF foot and mouth
disease through milk, either to human
,eings or tn animals.
The question of infected garbage is
more difficult to handle. for by no means
II of the meat in this country is sub
ect to federal inspection. In many sec
ions meat animals are slaughtered To-
allv. Cooking will destroy the foot
nd mouth germ so that this meat can
e eaten without bad results, but the
trimmings skin, in fat, and par
cularly the marrow-whieh are thrown
way or fed to hogs, may be at the same
me highly infectious.
In Philadelphia the disease has re-
.ntly appeared in several herds of gar i
age fed hogs, and although it is not I
bsolutely certain that the contagion a
as conveyed through this means, 1t c
ems quite possible that it was. The q
erilization Of garbage intended for t
,gs is. therefore. like the pasteuriza- v
on of skinned milk and similar prod
is, very desirable precaution. In t
ct. the federal authorities do not hcsi- "
te to say that experience in this out s
eak demonstrates the need Of state &
pislation on this subject. In the abb b
nee of legislation the farmer who fl
shes to be sure OF his skinned milk a
ould boil il after its return from the W
eamery. p