HOG CHOLERA AND MEAT INSPECTION 207 



With these facts in mind, let us again consider 

 the farm herd from which cholera infected hogs 

 are shipped. Often a considerable number must 

 die before the owner will admit, even to himself, 

 that he is dealing with hog cholera. Then there 

 is the delay incident to securing transportation, 

 and there are many hours during which infected 

 and sound animals are crowded together in a stock 

 car. Finally, after the hogs reach the yards there 

 is an additional delay of several hours or even 

 several days before they are killed. Any person 

 familiar with hog cholera knows that in such a 

 consignment a great majority of the hogs become 

 infected before they are killed and any person 

 familiar with present-day meat inspection regula- 

 tions knows that under such circumstances the 

 vast majority of the infected animals will pass in- 

 spection. The hogs have every chance to become 

 infected but the disease does not have time to 

 develop sufficiently to cause their condemnation. 



The practice of marketing swine herds as soon 

 as cholera appears is no longer necessary. It 

 rarely profits the man who follows it, and it per- 

 petuates hog cholera, working great harm to the 

 swine industry. Before the discovery of protec- 

 tive serum a herd of hogs once infected with chol- 

 era became a total loss unless some of the animals 

 could be salvaged by slaughter. With the plenti- 

 ful supply of serum now available an infected herd 



