38 ^ BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Sept.,. 



LAW RELATING TO LXOCULATIOX OF HOGS FOR 



HOG CHOLERA. 

 By Dr. C. L. Colton, Deputy Commissioner on Domestic 



Animals. 



I am here at the request of our Commissioner on Domestic 

 Animals to talk on the subject of our new law which gov- 

 erns inoculation of hogs for hog cholera; to bring the 

 attention of the hog raisers to the fact that the State of Con- 

 necticut through our Commission wishes to extend its as- 

 sistance to everyone mterested in the hog industry. Unless 

 the quarantine and treatment is enforced, hog cholera is in-^ 

 evitable ; when it starts it is going to go through the lot. 



In 1916, when I was attending a Pennsylvania college, I. 

 was sent to inspect a barn where eight hundred pigs were 

 kept. This barn contained four floors, the swill wagons 

 were driven in on each floor and dumped to the lot of pigs 

 assigned the driver. When I went into this barn I had on 

 a rubber coat, boots and cap but at that did not escape some 

 of the drippings. After this experience I vowed never to 

 have anything to do with the hog again. These pigs were 

 all lost, but we did not then know as much as we novv know 

 of the treatment of hog cholera. The department of health 

 went out and burnt the whole thing up. The large hog 

 raisers in that city finally got together and made up their 

 minds they would have a law to remedy that condition. 



In 1916 the price for inoculation in this state was ten cents 

 a pig, which was not enough. There was no system, no force,, 

 no men thoroughly educated in this work ready to go ahead 

 and treat the hogs ; in fact, at that time there were only two 

 good men known in the state for this work. 



By July of this year we had a system thoroughly estab- 

 lished for the treatment of hog cholera. The application and 

 distribution of virus and serum is made through the Com- 

 missioner. A complete record of each case treated and the- 

 results obtained is kept on file in the office and may be re- 

 ferred to at any time. 



From November of last year to Nov.ember of this year 

 eight thousand hogs were treated. From the middle of July- 

 up to the first of November we have treated six thousand!. 

 We have the number and weight, and can identify every one.. 



