Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1916-06-15

| (From the United States Department OF
Agriculture.)
| The farmer should frequently exam
inc his hogs about the ears, tanks, and
inside of the legs to see If they are
lousy. Lice are common pests among
swine, and vigorous and persistent
treatment is required to eradicate
them. They may be readily seen trav-
cling among the bristles, particularly
| in the parts Just mentioned. The eggs,
or s'nits," are small white oval bodies
attached to the bristles. Dipping does
not as a rule destroy the vitality of
these eggs. Swine should be dipped
frequently in order to kill the lice that
hatch out of the eggs after the previous
dipping. These lice are blood-sucking
parasites, and by biting the hog and
sucking blood they cause a great deal
Of skin irritation. Furthermore, they
act as drain on the vitality Of the
hog, through the loss Of blood which
they abstract. When lousy the hog is
usually restless and rubs on posts
and other convenient objects. The coat
looks rough and harsh. This pest is
transmitted from one animal tc an
other by direct contact, or by con-
tact with infected bedding or quarters.
Dipping Swine.
To free hogs from lice they should
be dipped two or more times at inter-
walls of about two weeks. Several
dippings may be required before COM
| x1o&o oro d;oatsr,, 10 aocoyonliehad IN
not fail at the same time to clean and
disinfect thoroughly the sleeping quar-
ters. Cresol compound (U. S. P)
may be used for dipping and dis
injecting For dipping, mix in the
proportion of two gallons to 100 gal
Ions of water; for disinfecting, in the
proportion of three gallons to 100 gal
Ions Of water. Although not always
as effective as might be desired, coal
tar products of the kind ordinarily
sold as stock dips are commonly used
to treat hogs for lice. For use they
are diluted with water in accordance
with directions supplied by the manu-
| facturers.
Dipping watts are made of various
materials, but the most durable is CO.
ment. (See Farmers Bulletin 4S1,
! Concrete Construction on the Live
Stock FARM The vat should be
set in the ground at a convenient place
where there is good surface drainage
away from the vat. A suitable size for
vat in which to dip hogs is ten feet
long at the top, eight feet long at the
bottom, one foot wide at the bottom,
and two feet wide at the top 1t should
be deep enough SO that the hogs will
be completely immersed in the dip and
will not strike the bottom Of the vat
when they plunge. If possible, the vat
should be located SO that two-inch
drain pipe may lead from the bottom
of the vat to facilitate emptying and
cleaning, otherwise it is necessary to
vat in order to clean 1t. Do not use
old filthy dip, but clean and recharge
the vat before dipping again if the dip
has become very dirty or if it has
stood long time in the vat. The end
where the hogs enter should be per-
pendicular and the entrance should
be on a slide. The other end should
slope gradually, with cleats to provide
footholds for the hogs for emerging
after dipping. A dipping vat is very
useful wherever a large number Of
hogs is kept.
| Hog Wallows.
| Some farmers favor hog wallows:
others are strongly opposed to them.
Filthy hog wallows are a source of
danger. Hogs wallowing in or drink.
! ing contaminated water are likely to
contract disease. However, there are
many advantages to be derived from
wallows. A cool bath is very soothing
to hog during the hot weather. 1t
cleans the scurf from the skin and pro-
tects the hogs from flies. Crude oil,
sufficient to form thin layer on top
Of the water, may be poured into the
wallow about every ten days. This
will tend to keep the hogs free from
lice and other skin parasites. If the
skin becomes irritated from the oil,
it's use should be discontinued. Small
quantities Of coal-tar dip are some
times added to the water in hog wal
lows, but there is an element of dam
ger in this practice, as poisoning may
result from the absorption of phenols
by hogs which lie in the wallow more
or less continuously.
On some of the larger hog farms
concrete wallows are becoming popu-
lar. The cement hog wallow should
be located in a shady place and made
SO as to contain from eight to ten
inches of water A two-inch drain
pipe, as recommended for the dipping
vat, should be placed in the bottom
of the wallow to permit it's being
cleaned out.
Other Methods.
In many cases a farmer is not fnan-
cially able to build concrete hog
wallow or dipping vat. If this be
the case, the dip. properly diluted ac-