LECTURE LXXV. 



PREVENTION OF DISEASE IN SWINE. 



Of all the various classes of stock produced upon the 

 farm, no class has been more remunerative to the farmers 

 of this country than swine. This is due to the fact that they 

 will produce more pounds of meat from a bushel of corn 

 or one hundred pounds of any feed stuff than any other 

 class of animals. At the present day one of the most serious 

 troubles which the farmer who grows swine has to contend 

 with is that of disease. Disease in its various forms as it 

 attacks swine, causes the farmers of this country several 

 million dollars of losses annually. This being the case it is 

 very important that every precaution possible should be 

 taken to prevent the same. Swine, unlike other animals, do 

 not respond readily to treatment once they become affected 

 with any kind of disease. With other animals it is possible 

 to treat them and in many instances save a large percentage 

 when disease of any kind appears in the flock. The opposite 

 is true in the swine herd, thus we readily see the necessity 

 of using every precaution in preventing disease. 



For many years we were somewhat in the dark as to 

 the cause of disease in swine. Science, however, has given 

 us much light on this subject. It is now very generally under- 

 stood that most forms of disease are due to a germ which can 

 be very readily transferred from place to place. Since this 

 is the basis of a large amount of the trouble we can readily 

 see the importance of using every precaution possible to 

 keep the animals in a cleanly condition. Most of these germs 

 or bacteria thrive and make their greatest growth under 

 filthy conditions. Scientists claim that most germs cannot 

 withstand sunlight, thus the importance of having plenty of 

 sunlight in the yards and pens which are used for swine 

 breeding or feeding purposes. These pens should be thorough- 

 ly cleaned and disinfected very often. By following such a 

 practice the health of the herd can be very much improved. 



