212 REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



effect as it has now. I think. The disease now called hog cholera, from the symptoms, 

 is lung fever. In the early stages of the disease hogs apparently sound* and well 

 would die within an hour, or at the farthest would not be sick more than twelve 

 hours before death would intervene. 



H ARDIN. My first acquaintance with hog cholera was in the spring of 1858, March, 

 I think, of that year. This visitation extended into 1859, taking many fat hogs, and 

 half of all the hogs of the county besides, and damaging many that were left. Again, 

 in the whiter of 1863-'64, it came very near cleaning out the country of hogs. Those 

 two seasons were the worst we have ever had. My neighborhood has not been seri- 

 ously troubled with it since the two first years. The bottom and low lands have suf- 

 fered the worst. We have other diseases, called measles and blind staggers, which 

 are as fatal on the ridges as the cholera. I have lost more animals by the blind 

 staggers than by any other disease. I do not think I ever lost a hog with genuine 

 cholera. My assistant, Dr. R. J. McGinnis, "writes: "My first personal experience 

 with and of hog cholera was in 1869, next in 1876, then again in 1885. In 1869 and 

 1876 the leading symptoms were vomiting and purging, and decomposition took 

 place almost before death. This was not so in 1884-'85 vomiting or purging but 

 the reverse. First symptoms, failure to eat ; then lameness in one or more of the 

 limbs, especially the fore leg, swelling of fore shoulders with great thirst, scaly, 

 mangy appearance of skin, sometimes shedding of the entire coat of hair. Recov- 

 ery nearly always followed these symptoms in 1887. Do not think, from the best in- 

 formation I can get, that a dozen hogs died of cholera." 



HENRY. The parts of this county visited with hog cholera last year have escaped 

 this season, but those parts not visited last year are having it now. The first visita- 

 tion of hog cholera that I remember was in 1870, when a few herds were swept away. 

 No one could account for the visitation. No amount of care seems to do any good. 

 It may rage all round one farm, and the next year take that farm and leave the rest. 

 On my farm last year the hogs all died but four. I buried the dead and bought 

 more hogs in the winter. In the spring my hogs dug down to the dead ones and ate 

 them, but have been veiy healthy this season. Many hogs have died from having 

 worms. I think they can be cured by giving turpentine. 



JACKSON. Hog cholera made its first appearance here in 1859, in a lot of hogs 

 owned by one man. He lost 75 per cent, of them. They were running at large in 

 the woods, and were fed once a week on corn for the purpose of keeping them tame. 

 The disease known as hog cholera has been making its rounds in the county ever 

 since. My observation has been that more of them die in the spring and beginning 

 of summer, and in the months of September and October, than any other time of 

 the year. All kinds of remedies have been tried, but none have proved a satisfactory 

 cure. I find separating the affected from the apparently healthy ones is the best 

 remedy I know of. So far as known, previous to 1859 hogs were healthy in this 

 county. 



JASPER. Less per cent, of hogs have died in our county the past year from the ef- 

 fect of cholera than on an average of the five preceding years. I could not give the 

 date of the first appearance of the cholera in our county. My recollection is that it 

 appeared as early as 1861, but not much damage was done until 1864. 



Jo DAVIESS. There is no disease as a rule among the hogs that I know of. Once 

 in a while we hear of a few sickly hogs, but nothing of a very serious nature. 



JOHNSON. Domestic animals in general have been healthy during the year. No 

 loss to any marked extent except among hogs. The disease known as hog cholera 

 has killed a great many hogs nearly or quite every year for twenty-one or twenty- 

 two years past. I have not been able to learn the means of introduction of the dis- 

 ease into this county. The disease seems more apt to attack hogs which run upon 

 the commons and along creek bottoms and swamp lands. The largest number of 

 animals that die of this disease are pigs and shoats from one to six months old. 

 There is no cure for the disease known to us. 



KANKAKEE. There is no contagious disease among animals in this county, except 

 such as happens at all seasons and to all animals. There is no hog cholera in this 

 county at present. It is not known when the first cases occurred. There were cases 

 of the disease more than thirty years ago. 



KENDALL. Hog cholera has not been as severe in this county as in some previous 

 seasons. I have heard of but one locality where it has been destructive. There are 

 no special diseases prevailing among horses, cattle, or sheep. 



LIVINGSTON. Hog cholera has raged in some parts of this county while other 

 parts have been entirely free from the plague. The mortality has been mostly 

 among pigs under six months old. I have had no cholera among my hogs, nor has 

 there been any in the "immediate neighborhood, consequently I have had no expe- 

 rience with the disease. Cattle and horses are healthy, but the latter are in poor 

 condition. 



