FIFTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART IX. 64 9 



At this point, I wish to call attention to the last wave of hog cholera 

 in Iowa. It required three years for the disease to reach its maximum, 

 which was, according to the United States Bureau of Statistics, about 30 

 per cent of the hogs. In three years more, the disease had receded to 

 "normal." According to the same bureau, history began to repeat itself 

 In 1912, and in 1913, or the second year of the wave, losses had reached 

 upwards of 16 per cent, but according to assessors' figures, this was con- 

 siderably too low. There is some justification, it seems, to assume that 

 1914 would have shown the maximum loss. As has been mentioned be- 

 fore, however, the loss was probably 50 per cent less, or near 12 per cent, 

 whereas, precedent would have made it 30 per cent. Apparently, the year 

 of maximum losses was eliminated entirely. 



Allow me to call your attention to another point in this connection. 

 There has been much said concerning the spread of hog cholera by the 

 simultaneous treatment. This form of treatment was applied much more 

 extensively during 1914 than ever before. The decrease of cholera in 

 the face of this extensive use of virus with hog cholera serum does not 

 seem to indicate that this is one of the prime factors in the dissemina- 

 tion of hog cholera. Though realizing the importance of carefully super- 

 vising the use of virus, I am more suspicious of the infected herd which 

 is being neglected and of the careless methods of carrying on neighborly 

 relations in many communities. 



Inasmuch as it would be impossible to exhaust the subject In several 

 hours, I am closing my paper with the hope that you have received at 

 least some useful information. 



Q. Didn't you say that you should not vaccinate the hogs until 

 the cholera was in the neighborhood? 



Doctor Stauge : That is what we generally recommend. 



Q. Wouldn't that be liable to be too late to vaccinate? 



Doctor Stange : If people will vaccinate promptly when the 

 disease appears, they can prevent a great loss; but their neigh- 

 bors ought to vaccinate and prevent the spread of the disease. 

 Where there are outbreaks, somebody ought to go there and super- 

 vise the work and keep the disease from spreading. 



A Member: Out near Whiting, in Woodbury county, they vac- 

 cinate their pigs regularly two weeks after they are weaned, and I 

 have done that every year for three years. 



Doctor Stange : You wouldn 't recommend that for every farmer 

 in the state, would you ? That is a question that we have been fac- 

 ing, whether we are going to work up to the point where we will 

 vaccinate all the hogs, or toward the point where it won't be nec- 

 essary to vaccinate at all. That is a big question for the state, 

 and it hinges on whether all the farmers want to vaccinate, or con- 

 trol the disease when it comes to a time like this. 



