Report of State Veterinarian. 57 



This has already stopped a great waste at the yards of hogs that 

 were entirely unfit for slaughtering purposes. As far as can be 

 ascertained, this system is proving successful and in all prob- 

 ability may be extended to apply to all stockyards. The waste 

 of hogs prevented by this system at the yards will amount to 

 much more than the entire cost of supporting the office and 

 force of the State Veterinarian. 



An attempt following the correct theory is being made to 

 control hog cholera in Pettis county. Yet it would appear that 

 the most expensive instead of the most economical system was 

 adopted in this work, and that the longest way around instead 

 of the shortest way through has been followed. There is em- 

 ployed on this work duplicate, if not triplicate, forces. On 

 analysis of the situation we find representatives of the Federal 

 Government going about administering hog cholera serum. 

 When they find diseased hogs that are not properly controlled, 

 or infected premises that are not being cared for, they return 

 to headquarters. At an additional unnecessary expense of six 

 or seven dollars per day a Deputy State Veterinarian drives 

 back to the same territory and issues quarantine orders. We 

 find that right in the midst of all this hog cholera work some 

 breeder wants his hogs injected to be exhibited at the State 

 Fair, and a student packs his grip with some hog cholera serum 

 from the Missouri Experiment Station and puts the State to an 

 additional, unnecessary expense. The business arrangement of 

 this hog cholera eradication work is so far from economical as 

 to appear almost ludicrous. Furthermore, infected and ex- 

 posed hogs of numerous owners over the county which were in- 

 jected with serum in November were still found dying Decem- 

 ber 20th. This indicates that either the hog cholera in Pettis 

 county is of an "extremely chronic nature or that the serum used 

 on these hogs was impotent. 



It seems to me that if the Board of Agriculture could make 

 some arrangements whereby a Deputy State Veterinarian could 

 be supplied with potent hog cholera serum good results could 

 be obtained with about one-third or one-fourth of the cost under 

 the present system. When one veterinarian goes out twenty to 

 twenty-five miles distant to examine a lot of hogs infected with 

 cholera, it seems silly to return to headquarters and send another 

 veterinarian to administer the serum, or vice versa, thereby 

 duplicating the expense. When it comes to making an official 

 call by this department in some extreme corner of the State and 



