HOG CHOLERA AND MEAT INSPECTION 221 



visable at times, but judicious selection and care- 

 ful handling are essential, and even then the best 

 professional care does not always insure against 

 considerable loss from hog cholera and its com- 

 plications. 



When it is desirable to purchase feeding shoats 

 to consume garbage, those weighing between 75 

 and 120 pounds are most desirable. Although it 

 is feasible to raise the very best pigs on garbage 

 alone, the fact remains that often they begin to 

 eat it well and put on rapid gains only after they 

 have attained considerable size. It is likewise 

 true that shoats cannot be put on full feed as rap- 

 idly when garbage is fed as they can when their 

 ration consists, of grain, hence it is well to pur- 

 chase rather light shoats so that the loss of time 

 in getting them started can be made up by a rela- 

 tively long fattening period. 



Except when cholera immune shoats are pur- 

 chased from the farm it is necessary that immu- 

 nizing shall take place before or immediately 

 after they reach the feeder 's yards, and thus they 

 must often undergo the resulting reaction before 

 the condition known in the fattening pen as "full 

 feed" is reached. Special care is necessary not 

 to overfeed at this time. Efforts to crowd the 

 animals beyond their capacity may aid in caus- 

 ing "serum breaks, " and do injury that will re- 

 quire weeks to overcome. , With this one special 



