382 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
MEASURES TO ARREST AND EXTIRPATE THE DISEASE. 
To put a stop to the ravages of the fever concerted measures are 
essential. One farmer may easily eradicate it from his own herds; but 
so long as his neighbors continue to harbor it his stock is daily subjected 
to the danger of renewed infection. His personal sacrifice is all in vain, 
so long as ‘he is liable to have his herds infected by a chance visitor, a 
wandering animal or bird, or even a favorable wind. What is true ‘of 
the indiv idual farmer is equ ally true of the township, county, and State. 
One may crush out the disease at a cost of immense effort and outlay 
only to find it reappearing the next day, as the result of carelessness on 
the part of an adjoining or even distant State or district. In our Hast- 
ern States this plague is almost invariably the result of importation, and 
though from the lack of pigs it never gains a wide prevalence, it suffi- 
ciently illustrates how the disease is propagated i in the West, where its 
more extended ravages are liable to blind the eyes to the fact. "ho secure 
a complete or even partial immunity active measures must be taken 
over the entire Jand, and while this cannot be done by States, districts, 
counties, or even towns, separately, it will be rendered the more effectual 
in the precise ratio that it is inaugurated as a uniform system over the 
entire country, and under one central controlling authority. 
Without entering at this time into all the details of the necessary 
restrictive measures, the following may be especially mentioned: 1st. The. 
appointment of a local authority and inspector to carry out the measures 
for the suppression of the disease. 2d. The injunction on all having the 
ownership or care of hogs, and upon all who may be called upon to 
advise concerning the same, or to treat them, to make known to such 
local authority all cases of real or suspected hog fever, under a penalty 
for every neglect of such injunction. 3d. The obligation of the local 
authority, under advice of a competent veterinary inspector, to see to 
the destruction of all pigs suffering from the plague, their deep burial 
in a secluded place, and the thor ough disinfection of the premises, uten- 
sils, and persons. 4th. The thorough seclusion of all domestic animals 
that have been in contact with the sick pigs, and in the case of sheep 
and rabbits the destruction of the sick when this shall appear necessary. 
5th. Unless, where all the pigs in the infected herd have been destroyed, 
the remainder shouid be placed on a register and examined daily by the 
inspector, so that the sick may be taken out and slaughtered on the 
appearance of the first signs of illness. 6th. Sheep and rabbits that 
have been in contact with the sick herd should also be registered, and 
any removal of such should be prohibited until one month after the last 
sick animal shall have been disposed of. 7th. All animals and birds, 
wild and tame, and all persons except those employed in the work, 
should be most carefully excluded from infected premises until these 
have been disinfected and can be considered safe. 8th. The losses sus- 
tained by the necessary slaughter of hogs should be made good to the 
owner to the extent of not more than two-thirds of the real value as 
assessed by competent and disinterested parties. 9th. Such reimburse- 
ment should be forfeited when an owner faus to notify the proper 
authorities of the existence of the disease, or to assist in carrying out 
the measures necessary for its suppression. 10th. A register should be 
drawn up of all pigs present on tarms within a given area around the 
infected herd—say, one mile—and no removal of such animals should be 
allowed until the disease has been definitely suppressed, unless such 
removal is made by special license granted by the local authority after 
they have assured themselves by the examination of an expert that the 
