Sivine Growers' Association. 313 



manner as the one mentioned above. This outbreak occurred in a 

 herd that had been on the "show circuit," but as the animals ap- 

 peared healthy when they arrived home, they were not put in 

 temporary quarantine, but were allowed to run with the main 

 breeding herd. In a few days the "show" hogs became ill and 

 were separated from the breeding herd. They had, however, al- 

 ready spread the infection widely over the hog yards and pastures ; 

 and the disease spread rapidly through the entire herd, causing 

 the owner great loss. The infection moreover spread from this 

 farm to several others in the neighborhood; and from these was 

 carried by traffic and other means several miles from the original 

 focus of infection. This outbreak occurred a year before the one 

 mentioned above, and at a time when sufficient "serum" was not 

 available to inoculate the herd. Since then, however, the disease 

 has been kept under control on several of these infected farms by 

 use of the "hog cholera serum," and a few of the farms now appear 

 to be free from infection. Had it been possible to in- 

 oculate the herd, in which the disease first appeared, at 

 the beginning of the outbreak, with a potent serum, the 

 losses which fell upon this breeder and upon many 

 farmers of the same county, would not have occurred. Nor would 

 it have required such a large quantity of serum as has since been 

 used. 



The importance of prompt action and proper procedure is 

 well illustrated by the two outbreaks mentioned. The infection, 

 however, is at present so widely distributed over the State that 

 even with the most prompt service, a very large quantity of serum 

 will be required to control the disease on the farms that are now 

 infected, and to prevent the infection of new territory. It is evi- 

 dent that if proper progress is to be made toward the eradication 

 of this disease, the State must produce the serum in order to en- 

 sure a reliable product and a sufficient quantity for official use, and 

 for private use under official sanction. The serum should be sup- 

 plied either free of cost or at a nominally low charge. This is 

 necessary to protect the swine growers from "fake" products that 

 may be put on the market by irresponsible empirics ; and to pro- 

 tect them from extortionate prices by commercial producers who 

 may put on the market a legitimate product. We share with Dr. 

 Melvin, Chief of the U. S. Bureau of Animal Industry, the opinion 

 that the proper agencies for the production of this serum are the 

 laboratories of the Veterinary Departments of the State Colleges 

 of Agriculture; which, with their close association with the Ex- 



