494 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



evening of October 28 were slaughtered and buried in the infected 

 portion of the yards. Even though no infection had been discov- 

 ered in the Union Stock Yards outside the stocker and feeder di- 

 vision, the entire j-ards were closed November 6, 1914, for cleaning 

 and disinfection, and remained closed until the work was finished 

 November 16, 1914. It was important to eliminate this prolific 

 source of infection as soon as possible. The Stock Yards Company 

 employed 1,800 men and provided 146 lines of disinfecting hose in 

 addition to their splendid cleaning and flushing facilities, and in 

 order that the work might progress unretarded at night, an elabo- 

 rate temporary lighting system was installed. 



After the infection of foot and mouth disease reached the Chi- 

 cago stock yards it was rapidly disseminated from there between 

 October 19 and 29 to various states, and the prospect of success- 

 fully eradicating this outbreak became most discouraging. How- 

 ever, by diligently and persistently pursuing the policy of eradica- 

 tion adopted in the beginning, all centers of infection were gradu- 

 ally eliminated and by June 18, 1915, all known infected and ex- 

 posed animals had been slaughtered and the disinfection of premi- 

 ses completed, and it appeared that the disease was eradicated. 



On July 28, however, infection was discovered in Steuben County, 

 New York. Seven herds were slaughtered in this county. On Au- 

 gust 8 it was discovered that some infected hog cholera serum had 

 been used in treating eight herds of swine in Illinois, one in Minne- 

 sota, one in Michigan, and one in Indiana. The disease developed 

 in five herds in Illinois, one in Indiana and Minnesota. The re- 

 mainder of the eleven herds was slaughtered before the disease had 

 time to develop. The infected herds were promptly slaughtered 

 and buried, and fortunately the disease in Indiana and Minnesota 

 did not spread beyond the originally infected herds. The outbreak 

 in Illinois Avas confined to that state, and the last affected herd that 

 contracted the disease in the ordinary manner Vtas slaughtered 

 February 16, 1916. On May 2, 1916, however, the disease appeared 

 in some of the animals that had been placed on a farm in Christian 

 county to test the efficiency of the cleaning and disinfection. This 

 outbreak was not entirely unexpected as the cleaning and disinfec- 

 tion had been done under very unfavorable weather conditions. 

 This was the last herd slaughtered in the 1914-15 outbreak of foot 

 and mouth disease, and it is believed the disease has been completely 

 eradicated. 



