Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-27
TUBERCULOSIS IN HOGS 4F
CAUSING MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS LOSS YEARLY

lions of dollars annually, is practicable
and relatively easy determination
should be attained without delay be-
fore the disease, which appears to be
increasing. has gained too much head
way is the advice Of the specialists Of
The United States department. Of agri-
culture. The official figures show that
per cent of the hogs slaughtered
! during the fiscal year 1915 at estab-
!lishmen,s under federal meat inspec-
ton were affected with tuberculosis
| in some degree In the case Of hogs
from certain localities, especially some
! of the dairying sections, however, over
! 20 per cent, or one out OF four hogs
slaughtered, had the disease. In fact,
so serious has hog tuberculosis be-
come in some localities that hog buy
ers for packing houses are AVOIDING
certain regions known to be badly In
fected, and some packers already are
| buying hogs subject to post-mortem
inspection, with the loss for tubercular
! hogs falling on the feeder. Other buy
ers who do not buy subject to post
mortem inspection protect themselves
| by offering lower price for all hogs,
! in which case the careful breeder suf-
fers equally with the careless one. The
following Information regarding the
control of this disease is taken from
Farmers Bulletin S71, Tuberculosis OF
Hogs. by John r. Mohler and Henry
]. Washburn.
The two principal ways OF prevent
ing hogs from becoming tubercular are
by keeping them away from tubercular
| cattle and by cooking or pasteurizing
all skim milk and cooking all garbage
before it is fed to the hogs.
| On dairy farms unless the cattle
have been tuberculin tested and are
known to be free from disease, hogs
should never be allowed TO follow the
dairy cattle or to drink raw milk. In
any event, 1t is safer to cook skim
milk or butternilk or to pasteurize 1t,
by holding 1t at 1i5 degrees F. for
thirty minutes or at 176 degrees F. for
one minute. That raw milk from tu-
bercular cows will convey the disease
10 hogs is fully established by ade-
quate tests. Raw milk OF any kind
from a creamery is particularly dan
gerous for hogs, because If there IS but
one tuhercu!ar herd on the creamery
route, the milk from this herd may
affect all the skim milk collected at
the factory. This explains why tuDer-
culosis is most common in hogs IN
dairy regions where milk is taken to
a central creamery and raw skim milk
brought back 10 the farm from the
general stock.
The droppings Of tubercular cattle
so convey the germs TO hogs which
arr allowed to follow them. For this
reason hogs should be kept out Of COW
.ots On the other hand, hogs can fol-
low steers with comparatively little
danger. Steers are not kept indoors
as much as dairy cattle and commonly
are sold, before they are old enough
for the disease TO develop to the point
where II spreads germs thru the drop
pings. e.
Raw garbage, especially garbage col
lected from cities. may carry the germs
Of tuberculosis and infect hogs to
which Il Is fed. The germs In SUCH
garbage will De rendered harmless *
the garbafr is cooked before II Ii
fed. Such garbage. If it has not
reached the putrefactive stage, is al
nirabIe for feeding purposes. provided
the containers are kept always clean.
P!ggeries, where steriiized garbage Is
prepared and fed. should be so con-
s,ructed that they may be readily
cleansed.
No hog should be allowed to eat
carrion, such az dead chickens Or 9TH
er animals. or TO eat raw offa! from
slaughter houses or farm butchering.
All slaughter house waste before be-
ing fed should be thoroughly cooked,
as this VIII kill the germs OF tuoer-
cuiosis and other diseases. Careful in
vestigation shows that slaughter
nouse tankage does not spread the dis
ease, as the preparation OF this tank
age involves thorough sterilization Dy
heat
|, stands to reason that no person
affected with tuberculosis should be
allowed to work among hogs, and that
hogs, like other animals have much
better chance of withdrawing this
dissase Il given plenty OF fresh air ana
sunlight and provided with quarters
| that are kept sanitary.
Where reports from slaughter houses
or other tests indicate that a herd Is
tubercuisr, the owner should at once
get rid of his entire herd and, after
| thoroughly disinfectin8 the premises
introduce new breeding animals. On
the other hand, newly purchased hogs
should not be introduced into herd
known to be free from the disease I'M
til they have been tuberculin tested. The
intradermai method OF applying tuber-
cuiin tests have been tried on hogs and
have given excellent results. A farmer
wishing to make certain that his swine
are freef rom the disease should avail!
himself OF this test, which Is described
| In the bulletin. Unfortunately few hogs
with the disease ever show the pres
ence Of tuberculosis by outward symp-
toms. In fact, In slaughter houses
, many hogs, which were found on
post mortem examination to be tuber-
cular, seemed to be the finest animals
| in the droyes. AS tuberculosis fire.
auently attacks the hogs on a farm
where there are tubercular cattle, the
tubercuiin test should be applied to all
the cattle on the place and all tuber-
cular animals among them should be
Isolated or destroyed at the time OF
disposing OF the hogs.
| A farm may be stocked rapidly with
healthy swine after the total slaugh-
ter OF tuberculosis lot. The early age
at which the SOW may be bred, her ca
pacity for breeding twice year. and
the plural number Of her offspring are
forceful arguments for the total de-
struction OF every diseased drove OF
hogs and the breeding up in clean.
healthy quarters Of sound. healthy
| drove in it's stead.
| Community Action.
| It behooves hog raisers to see that
their SKINNED milk has been properly