HOG CHOLERA AND MEAT INSPECTION 215 



ular herd that subsists on garbage will contract 

 hog cholera. The larger the herd, the greater 

 the supply of garbage necessary to maintain it, 

 and the more certain it is to become infected. 



In earlier years feeding garbage to hogs has 

 produced the most surprising and contrasting re- 

 sults. Its feeding value has long been well known, 

 and men who were tempted to utilize it in feeding 

 hogs usually began the practice on a small scale. 

 If hog cholera did not 'happen to reach the herd 

 during the first year, the financial returns were 

 usually gratifying beyond expectations, and the 

 hog raiser enthusiastically increased the size of 

 his herd at the same time multiplying its chances 

 to become infected with cholera. Thus a common 

 experience was for the breeder to have the savings 

 of one or more years invested entirely in hogs 

 when cholera finally reached his herd and de- 

 stroyed it. 



Various preventives of the disease incident to 

 garbage feeding were advertised, and magic for- 

 mulas were passed around by word of mouth. 

 Perhaps one man fed salt and sulphur to his hogs 

 and did not lose a single one; another neglected 

 to do this and his entire herd was destroyed. 

 Could any proof be more convincing! But the 

 law of chance was still in operation, and hog chol- 

 era was relentlessly striking down one herd after 

 another, including those which received the lauded 



