REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF AMIMAL INDUSTRY. 223 



except yard care, wholesome food, and pure water. I would put particular stress 

 on pure water, and advise avoiding- filthy wallows. We think hogs will be healthy 

 if properly fed on wholesome food, have good water and a fair range, and a good 

 place to sleep. 



"WELLS. Hog cholera made its first appearance here in 1870, and there has been 

 more or less of it ever since. The heaviest loss was during the last year, when 99 

 per cent, of the loss was occasioned by cholera. 



IOWA. 



ALLAMAKEE. There has been no hog cholera in this locality for the past two 

 years. This disease had its greatest run from 1878 to 1882, and since then has 

 gradually disappeared. The loss amounted to 75 per cent. I have no facts or the- 

 ories about the cause or treatment of the disease not generally known, more than 

 such information as I have gamed from the reports issued from the Department of 

 Agriculture. My practice is, to separate the sick from the well and burn the car- 

 cass. Dry and comfortable quarters and healthy food for the well are important 

 factors. 



APPANOOSE. Hog cholera was first known in this county in 1862. Since then 

 it has been very violent at times. During the year just ended we have not suffered 

 much; in fact, it might be said that in a general way we had escaped, as the losses 

 have not amounted to a half of 1 per cent. On my own farm, from 1862 until the 

 present time, I have lost hogs to the amount of thousands of dollars, and although 

 I have spent a great deal of time and money trying to find a cure I am fully con- 

 vinced that as far as known we have no cure. And as to means to prevent it, ex- 

 cept by isolating the healthy animals, in my opinion, there is nothing reliably 

 known. During last winter I lost 250 head that were following feeding steers in 

 Audubon County, and spent the remainder of the winter, with the help of our State 

 veterinarian, in seeking in vain for a cure. 



AUDUBON. All contagious diseases among hogs here are known as hog cholera. 

 About six years ago this disease was first known in this county. The meam or 

 mode of its introduction is unknown. Hogs were generally healthy before that 

 time. The mortality is increasing yearly. Sometimes it prevails among young 

 shoats and other times among old hogs. In one locality the hogs will become 

 stupid, eyes swollen to blindness, kidneys, after death, are found white and un- 

 natural, one-half the melt decayed. In other localities the lungs are covered with 

 matter on the external part of the lobes; have some cough; hard breathing; dung 

 hard, dry, and black, and just before death it will be covered with matter resem- 

 bling that on the lungs; other animals will take the scours, which it is impossible 

 to check. In other neighborhoods the hogs take what we call the thumps. In 

 some animals it is about the heart, while in others it is in the flank; in others the 

 mouths swell so that they can not eat or drink. About 95 out of 100 die in every 

 case when attacked. All kind of remedies have been tried with no success. In 

 most cases the disease does not travel fast, but jumps about in different localities. 

 Is no respecter of hogs in the pen or on large, good pastures, with plenty of clean 

 water to drink. 



BOONE. Hogs have been remarkably free from the disease known as hog cholera 

 for the past six months. I do not know of a case in the county during that time. 

 Hogs are scarce; all have been sold that were marketable on account of the scarcity 

 of corn. They were generally healthy previous to the year 1865. Since that time 

 we have had more or less of hog cholera. The disease will abate for some months, 

 then will break out in some locality and sweep everything before it until it seems 

 to wear itself out. Don't know of any preventive or cure, although the county is 

 flooded with cholera recipes, which generally fail to do any good when the disease 

 once breaks out. 



BUCHANAN. I have 110 data as to the first appearance of hog cholera in this 

 county. I have raised hogs here twenty-eight years and have had no trouble. 

 Think pasture and timber range has prevented the general appearance of the dis- 

 ease, though the present year it is worse than ever before. Extremes of costiveness 

 or scours are common in some herds. Either extreme produces death in a few 

 days. I think herds following cattle are most diseased if confined in close yards. 



BUENA VISTA. Hog cholera has prevailed in this county, off and on, for the last 

 twenty years, but no one can tell the cause or give a cure. A few hogs are now 

 affected, but not enough to cut any figure in the supply. 



CARROLL. Hog cholera is a peculiar disease. It appears there are at least three 

 different kinds of hog diseases. Some farmers lost nearly all of their hogs by 

 cholera. The disease commenced about twelve years ago, and has raged more or 

 less every year since. A large number of cattle were lost during last year by the 

 disease known as black-leg. We have not had a single case this year. 



