Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-04-26
ARE YOUR HOGS LOUSY?
Farmer Should Frequently Ex-
anime Animals For Lice.
DIP FREQUENTLY TO CURE
Parasites Suck Blood and Lower Vital
ity-Dipping and Distinction
Are Control Methods.

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 per
sistent treatment is deqUired to eradi-
cate them. They may be readily seen
travelling among the bristles, partic-
ularly in the parts Just mentioned.
The eggs, or "nits", are small white
oval bodies attached to the bristles.
Dipping does not as rule destroy the
vitality of these eggs. Swine should
be dipped frequently in order to kill
the lice that hatch out of the eggs af-
ter the previous dipping. These lice
are blood-sucking parasites, and by
biting the hog and sucking the blood
they cause a great deal of skin irri-
tation. Furthermore, they act as a
drain on the vitality of the hog thru
the loss of blood which they abstract.
When lousy the hog is usually restless
and rubs on posts and other cOnven-
lent objects. The coat looks rough
and harsh This pest is transmitted
from one animal to another by direct
contact with infected bedding or quar-
tiers.
Dipping the Swine.
To free hogs from lice they should
be dipped two or more times at inter-
walls of about two weeks Several
clippings may be required before COM
pIete eradication is accomplished. Do
not fail at the same time to clean and
disinfect thoroughly the sleeping quar-
tiers. CresoI compound GUS. P) may
be used for dipping and disinfecting.
For dipping, mix in the proportion OF
2 gallons to 100 gallons Of water, for
disinfecting, in the proportion of three
gallons to 100 gallons of water. Al
though 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 manufacturers. Gre
sol compound and cOal-tar dips may
be purchased at the drug store.
Cement Makes Good Dip Vat.
Dipping watts are made of various
materials, but the most durable is ce-
ment. 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 a
vat in which to dip hogs is 10 feet
long at the top, feet long at the bot
tom. 1 foot wide at the bottom, and
2 feet wide at the top. 1t should be
deep enough so that the hogs will be
completely submerged in the dip and
will not strike the bottom of the vat
when they plunge. If possible, the
vat should be located 50 that 2-inch
drain pipe may lead from the bottom
Of the vat to facilitate emptying and
cleaning, otherwise it is necessary tO
pump or dip out the contents of the
vat i'm order to clean it. Do not use
old. filthy dip, but clean and recharge
the vat before dipping again if the dill
has become very dirty or if it has stood
long time in the vat. The enc
where the hogs enter should be per
pendicular and the entrance should b'
on a slide. The other end should
slope gradually, with cleats to pro
vide foOthOlds for the hogs emerging
after dipping. A dipping vat is yer.
useful wherever a large number Q
hogs are kept.
Filthy Hog WaIIOWS Dangerous.
Some farmers favor hog wallows
others are strongly opposed to then
Filthy hog wallows are a source G
danger. Hogs wallowing in or drinB
ing contaminated water are likely
contract disease. However, there al
many advantages to be derived frol
waIIows. A cool bath is very sootf
ing to a hog during the hot weathe
lit cleans the scurf from the skin an
protects the hogs from flies. CruC
oil. sufficient to form a thing layer G
top o. the water, may be poured in
the wallOw about every ten days. TIL
will tend to keep the hogs free fro
lice and other skin parasites. III Il
skin ecomes irritated from the oil,
use should be discontinued. Sma
ouant.ties of coal-tar dip are som
times added to the water in hog We
lows. but there is an element OF da
ger in this practice, as poisoning m
result from the absorption of phenc
by hogs which lie in the wallow mo
or less continuously.
On some of the larger hog tarl
concrete waIlows are becoming pc
uIar. The cement hog wallow shot
be located in a shady place and ma
50 as to contain from to 10 incl
of water. A 2-inch drain pipe, as r
commended for the dipping vat, shol
be placed in the bottom of the wall
to permit its being cleaned out.
Various Methods Of Applying Dip
In many cases a farmer is not fin
cialIy able to build a concrete
wallo or a dipping vat. IL this
the q the dip, properly diluted
cord 10 directions, can be appl
-..itl, nav numO or shrinking c