Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-02-26
Disease Control on
Farms Saves Millions

Veterinarians employed by the gov
eminent have issued the lirst of Sc
rles of articles ON the protection oil
the live stocs Industry " the United
State, In the Introductory article thoy
state that, al first thought It mas
seem foolish % ask man what he
would do were he suddenly to csmt
into possession of 10000 900 hogs, 30,
600, 900 sheep, 90, 100000 cattle and 20.
100000 horses and mules, but perhaps
II isn't. Uncle Sam. who is the mos
extensive up-to- date farmer IN the
world. owns that much i've stock, and
for good measure there is o large flock
OF poultry scra sching around the place
Every man who Is u stocsEolder In this
concern may do well to try to put him.
self in fancy IN the place OF TIN.
wealthiest of stockmen who in this
particular business alone Is ten times
a millionaire.
Well, what would you do? Count
EN-? No. that doesn't look quite like
the first job. The chances are that yvt
would first make sure that the herds
and fiocks were reasonably safe from
you would want some iLsurance-no,
, insurance in The ordinary sense, bu
real protection that would actually
prevent loss. The greater the livestoc'
population the more necessary is 8
permanent plan of defense and cap
able man to cary it out. 1t is one OF
the first essentials.
When the live stock inductry o.
America developed to such an extent
that outbreaks OF disease became q Sc
rious menace 10 the welfare OF th'
country steps were taken to reduce the
danger 1t was an outbreak o.
pleuro- pneumonia in cattle that was
the direct cause of the establishment
o. the Bureau of Animal Industry
That bureau now has many more du'
ties. but preventing disease from en-
tering the country. checking the
spread Of those already here ana pro
| tecting the public against products OF
diseased animals is a large part OF sh>
| work and requires the services o.
1000 trained veterinarians.
IF hog cholera could be eliminate.
and there is every reason to belleNe
that it can be done-how much more
efficient would be the farms OF th'
great corn belt and those OF othe'
sections that are now lIrding the IN
comes of thei- owners. In 1914 TN
swine inductrv paid toll of $'o,ooo,'
900 to this Gevastator Of herds. bu
there is encouragement. The use o
anti hog cholera serum, a preventive
developed by .lle bureau of animal IN
;- acir n
Stamping Out Cattle Plaques.
One of the most widespread ant
costly diseases OF domestic animals II
| tuberculosis. The cattle aid swine In
dustries suffer enormously year ate
| year. The president Of the Chicago
Live Stock Exchange recently estlma'
ed that the loss every Nv elve month'
is equal to seventy train loads Of NV
| stock Of forty cars each, mostly hogs
Men in the bureau Of animal lndusti
| estimate that the country loses $4V,
DOC. 900 every year as result OF I'M
slow moving but persistent plague
The fight is now being Waseu on III
principle that eradication Of tubercu
losis is an economic question. None;
has been appropriated by congress 10
the purpose Of partly reilnbursing tn
owners of cattle whose animals nav
been slaughtered in the campaign TO-
clean herds.
"One Of the most interesting storie
| III the whole history of the develop
| mont of science was the direct resul
o. the fight against the cattle tick ant
| Texas fever. Since VIC have JUS
passed through the most successful
year in the campaign TO eliminate TIM
costly cattle plague from the southern
states it is worth while to remind our
selves once more of what far reachln.
results often come from the appar
entity bidding pursuits OF 'bugologists
About fifteen years ago men OF scienc
ali over the orld took off their hat
| to the bureau Of animal industry whel
| men OF it's STAFF, notably DR.. Iheopai
| Smith, were credited with the epoch
making discovery that diseases OF AM
mails are sometimes transmitted 1rol
Lone to the other by insects.
| "One thing that made it possible TO
! the American farmer to Keep the allie
supplied with meat without great In
| convenience to our own people wa
the fact that within the last few year
the state and federal authorities ant
those who have been working VIII
them have learned good deal saoou
handling hog cholera. The pig IS In
emergency meat producer, and the FAC
that the war is over should lead no on
to believe that the fight against hoi
CHOLERA can De slackened in, the least
| The task has just begun In earnes
l y m VOTE n
the bureau Of animal industry or IN
| United States department of >asrlcul
tire the ultimate object is absolute
elimination Of the disease from Amer
lean farms.
"The magnitude of the undertakin
ahead Of the veterinarians. and other
on whose shoulders rests the resposl
bility of controlling the disease an
gradually stamping it out, become
\ more apparent when we consider TN
| wide territory over which 1t ha
! spread and the long period over. wh1cl
II has exacted enormous toll iron
our herds Of swine. The saving tina
has resulted from the efforts OF tn
veterinarians Of the bureau or ANNA
| industry. in the last few years, II
CO. operation with state and practicint
veterinarians, cannot be overestimatet
and is not fully realized by the public
Fight Cholera in "a States.
In spite Of the drawbacks. the WORT
| of hog cholera control by the bureau
OF animal industry has been gradual,
extended until now 1t covers practical
/ Nv the whole Of thirty-four states
There are employed by the bureau
, about 165 veterinarians to assist tn
.o a,,lar anthnrities of the YariOn