Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-01-06
COUNTY AGENT POE
REPORTS RESULTS
Tells What Was Accom- mpished
In the Campaign Against
Hog Cholera.

Hog Cholera.
Has anything been accomplished
in the campaign against hog cholera
this season? What can be done to
prevent it's ravages next year? Is the
serum treatment successful?
Now that the season is closed, the
following report is submitted, and it
is believed that the careful reader will
come to the conclusion, that, as one
farmer said there is no longer an ex-
cuse for a man to lose his hogs"
The campaign started in April and
May when series of 27 meetings, at
least one in each township, was held
thruout the county. Over 900 per
sons attended these meetings. The ma.
ture OF the disease, methods of spread
means OF control, and the serum
treatment were discussed at these
meetings, and representative num-
per OF farmers from every township
thus became better posted on the
nature of the disease and methods of
combating it.
very little cholera developed unti,
july, but in August and September
1t became quite general, and everv.
one concerned in the fight was kent
very busy, outbreaks occurring even
up to December first.
A reduced price on serum was 60.
cured and a good supply was kent
on hand all summer to facilitate i'm.
1neolate treatment of herds infected
or exposed.
10000 Cubic centimeters Of
state, and $4,000 c. C. of commercia1
serum, totalling a cost of over s. 5oo
was purchased and used. An addi.
tlonal charge of $1.00 per 1000 G.. G.
over factory prices, was charged to
cover the cost of handling, such as ex
PRESS refrigeration, disenfectants
telephone messages and other expen
ses' and after all collections are made
there will be surplus of about s75
which will be returned to farmers
suffering severe loss in well herde
treated' the loss probably being due
to impotent serum.
| over 5000 hogs in slightly more
than 200 herds have been treated with
this serum, at an average cost of s8(
per hog, veterinarians services in
cluded.
| What have been the results?
reports were obtained from 148 far
mers by telephone, personal visits
ana letters. On these 14S farms, 453'
hogs were treated. 1868 hogs in 6,
we'll herds received the double O,
serum virus treatment with a loss O
66 hogs or about and three fourth
per cent.
i The real test of the serum treat
ment is found in it's use in infecte,
nerds, and the following results shoy
what the success has been:
1869 hogs in sick herds were treate,
with a saving of 2OS1 or II and nine
tenths per cent. In answer to tn
question did it pay you to vaccinat
your hogs?" 63 Of the S8 farmers ans
wered "yes"; or otherwise affirmative
| ly; 9 said mo" or expressed thej
disappointment in other words; and 1
: were in doubt as to the value of tn
> treatment, or gave no expression a
all of their opinion. A good deal Q
significance is attached to the fac
that everyone of the herds, belongin
to the 25 farmers, not satisfied wit
the results, or in doubt as to whethe
1t paid them or not, had an advance
stage OF cholera, or a very virulen
form, and from the veterinarian
standpoint, stood very little show {
recovering in good shape, but b,
: cause of the fighting chance" wer
+ treated anyway.
In only 18 of the SS sick herds we1
less than one half saved.
Only herds, totalling 1S hog
|, vaccinated died. This in spite of tt
!; frequent assertion that such and sut
> man "vaccinated his hogs and the
h all died."
# In nearly every case where her,
G. were vaccinated before the infectit
IS had spread to any extent, from
4 to 100 per cent were saved. It has fr
quently been urged, that, to be effe
e. tive serum must be used when the j
g fection first appears and the above ,
e suits bear this out.
n The actual saving in dollars al
cents can be computed very closeI
In order to do this it has been necf
sary to know what per cent of no
u in sick herds would have lived wit
- out the serum treatment. With tt
- IN view, figures were gathered frc
= rs herds, in which 400 hogs, expos
~ to Sthe disease, were not vaccinatt
80 80 1t was found that only 81 hogs or /
40 l per cent lived thru the disease. S,
~ ~ tracing this per cent from TIT +
~. cent, the amount surviving tt
" were treated, we find that we can G
dlt the serum with saving of IS T
cent in infected herds.
~ $500 of the total 5000 treated he
- were in infected herds. Carrying ,
IN the proportion found in the 148 he,
rd reported on IS per cent of 81
would give us 2340, the num1
~ saved by the serum, and at SO ca
~ would be worth $23,40O. Subtract
:. the cost Of vaccinating the $500 ho
or about $4,000, we find a net saving
over $20,500. It is very difficult
estimate the saving made in v
'ae herds, as no one knows how many
s. them would have become infect
nd but of the 1900 hogs, probably