214 REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



the disease made its appearance in a few townships, but soon ran its course. I do 

 not think that there is a case of hog cholera in the county at the present time. 

 There is no known specific for the cholera that I know of; every remedy so far has 

 failed. The assessor's returns show a great decrease in the number of hogs within 

 a year. 



Me LEAN. The first I knew of hog cholera in this county was in 1856. At that 

 tune we lost over four hundred head out of our herd. There are numerous opinions 

 as to the cause of hog cholera too numerous for me here to mention them. I myself 

 thought at times I had discovered the cause, but I am well satisfied now that we as 

 a people have not yet discovered the cause, and hence can not apply a remedy. 



MENARD. The first cases of hog cholera that I have any knowledge of were in the 

 fall of 1864. I do not remember the year positively, but that is my best recollection. 

 It occurred in some hogs shipped here from Missouri by Joel Dalby. Before that 

 hogs were as healthy as any other stock. As well as I can recollect, those Missouri 

 hogs were thin and were brought and unloaded at Williarnsville, and put in the 

 feed lot where there was plenty of feed, and soon sickened. This was the first out- 

 break of hog cholera we ever had in the county. Whether those hogs had it before 

 they came here or not I never knew. 



MERCER. Hog cholera first made its appearance in this county in 1863, I think, 

 and it was very malignant in form. As to its source or introduction I am unable 

 to say anything. The disease has made periodical visits ever since, and has been a 

 source of great financial loss to hog raisers of this county and State. It is the great 

 drawback to hog-raising, and in many instances takes away all the profit of the 

 herd of a single year, and often the profits of a series of years. As to managing the 

 disease but little success has been attained, after the disease has got fairly under 

 way. Hogs that have it once seldom have it again. Turpentine, kerosene, and 

 soft soap have all been tried with favorable results. If fed before the hogs become 

 sick they remain exempt. 



MORGAN. It is not definitely known just in what year the hog cholera made its 

 appearance in this county, but it first became general in 1856-'57. The disease has 

 since been very destructive at different periods. It has not increased in the last 

 ten years. It is impossible to make any estimate of the losses, as there are other 

 diseases which affect swine, and they are all called cholera. Some farmers refuse 

 to make known their losses, while others give the subject no consideration. At 

 least one-half the farmers never know how many pigs they own, and only make an 

 estimate when the assessor comes, and this is always larger than the assessor's 

 reports. 



MOULTRIE. Hog cholera made its appearance here about thirty-five years ago. 

 Hogs were generally healthy up to that time. Occasionally some died of quinsy, 

 but no general disease was known here. The disease seemed to be epidemic; did 

 not go from lot to lot, but hogs isolated seemed to take the disease the same as those 

 exposed. When a lot of hogs became affected the whole herd seemed to be affected 

 to some extent. I have fed my hogs copperas occasionally for the last ten years 

 when they did not seem to be all right, and have not lost one by cholera in that 

 time. 



PERRY. Hog cholera made its appearance in this county twenty-five years ago 

 or more. The number of hogs that died of cholera hi 1886 was 3,000; gross weight, 

 121,570 pounds. 



POPE. The so-called hog cholera was first known in this county in 1858. It was 

 said at the time to have come by progressive steps from distillery-fed hogs in In- 

 diana. Hogs before that date were uniformly healthy, and no one thought of risk 

 in investing in growing them. Since then there have been but few years that they 

 have escaped the disease, and with varied losses. A great many remedies and pre- 

 ventives have been used, but with little or no success. Farmers now do not invest 

 largely in that stock. 



PUTNAM. I can not tell the exact year when hog cholera first appeared in this 

 county. I think, however, about thirty-four years ago. No person could tell how 

 it came, but I well know that hogs .were healthy before that time. For twenty 

 years and over, from the first settlement of the country, hogs ran at large and were 

 always healthy. No remedy has ever been used here with success. 



SALINE. Hog cholera made its first appearance in this county about the year 

 1857. The mode of introduction not known, but supposed to have been from dis- 

 tilleries in the State of Indiana. Hogs were healthy and free from disease previous 

 to that time. We have not been seriously troubled with hog cholera for the last 

 year, yet the disease has appeared to some extent in a few localities. All farm ani- 

 mals nave beeen comparatively healthy during the past year. They came out of 

 the past winter in low flesh but in good health. Owing to the drought of the early 

 summer and fall stock of all kinds made but small gain in growth and flesh. Feed- 



