406 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OP AGRICULTURE. 



for some time. About thirty of the older and larger animals were kept 

 in a high and dry pasture close to the house, and were said to he healthy; 

 consequently I had nothing to do vrith them. The other portion of the 

 herd, composed of about seventy, mostly small and young animals, 

 among which the cases of sickness and death had occurred, occupied 

 the barn-yard, and were allowed to roam on a large uncultivated tract 

 of very broken land partly timbered. This (infected) part" of the herd 

 was immediately divided ; all animals apparently liealthy were removed 

 to the orchard, and the diseased ones were allowed to stay where I 

 found them. Two other pigs were kept in an open pen adjoining the 

 bam, and separated from the bam-yard only Ijy a fence. These were 

 not disturbed, received no medicines, and did not become alfected. The 

 apparently healthy pigs removed to the orchard were treated with car- 

 bolic acid in the water for drinking, the same as lots ISTos. 1 and 2 of Mr. 

 Gilchrist's, and lot 1:^0. 1 of Mr. Kice. No medicines were given to the 

 five sick pigs, because they were small, emaciated, of little value, and 

 were not expected to recover. On December 22 three of the sick pigs 

 had disappeared and could not be found ; they had probably wandered 

 off to a nook in one of many ravines, and there died. 



December 27. — No new cases of disease, except in that portion of the 

 herd composed of the older animals which were kept in the pasture. 

 An old stag, which had been castrated only a few weeks before, was 

 found dead. According to the information received, it had shown symp- 

 toms of inflammation of the brain for about twenty-four hours before its 

 death. It died on December 2G. Putrefaction had set in, but a post- 

 mortem examination was made for the purpose of learning whether the 

 animal was affected with swine plague or had died of another disease. 

 External morbid changes : the skin on the lower surface of the body 

 purplish-black ; the castration wounds not fally healed ; and the sper- 

 matic cords inflamed, enlarged, and almost black. Morbid clianges in 

 the chest : distinctly limited hepatization in the lower anterior or small 

 lobes of the lungs; numerous unusually largo extravasations of blood 

 in the pulmonal tissue ; the heart very much enlarged, about twice its 

 normal size, and full of dark-colored blood, only partially coagulated ; 

 several ounces of serum in the pericardium. In the abdominal cavity 

 nothing could be ascertained with certainty, as putrefaction was very 

 much advanced. The skull was not opened, because no instruments 

 were at hand. There can be no doubt the animal was affected with 

 swine plague, but it is doubtful whether death was caused by that dis- 

 ease or by something else — for instance, by an overdose of salt or brine ; 

 at any rate, the symptoms observed during life, if correctlj^ reported, 

 would justify such a conclusion. 



Visited Mr. Beaty's herd once more in January, and found that the 

 five pigs which were sick on December 20 had all died, and tliat none 

 of the others, with the exception of the old stag, had exhibited any 

 symptoms of disease. After the 20th of December all received their 

 v\^ater for drinking from a well close to the house. Before that date, the 

 larger x>ortiou of the herd (the one kept in the barn-yard) had access to 

 several smoil streams of running water. 



C. Mr. William B. Grahcmi's heril, two miles from Biggsville. — This 

 herd has already been mentioned. I made nij^ second visit to Mr. Gra- 

 ham's place on January 10, principally for the purpose of obtaining 

 fresh material for experimental purposes. About fifty animals of his 

 herd had died, notwithstanding the use of " sure-cure medicines," and 

 most of the hogs and pigs still alive were more or less affected. Mr. 



