EEPOET OF THE BUEEAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 227 



regulator seems to have a good effect as used by many. Some use one thing and 

 some another, and' I am fully satisfied in my own case the -effects have been good, 

 as I have never lost any hogs to speak of. ' 



MILLS. Hog cholera is a terrible disease and is the hardest thing we have to en- 

 counter in the stock line. It is almost sure death to a herd when it get a start. 

 I think there is no cure for it. The best preventive I can! find is to let the hogs 

 have plenty of copperas, salt, and sal soda, and keep them clean. I wish something 

 could be found in the way of a remedy^ 



MITCHELL. What has been known as hog cholera made its first appearance in 

 our county about 1880 and 1881, though many cases were only lung disease brought 

 on by exposure. The past year has been the most serious of- all, so far a extent and 

 loss goes, and no remedy has as yet been* found. Generally when, it gets into a 

 neighborhood nearly all the animals die. The consequence is a scarcity of shoats, 

 and also a 1 disposition to not stock up, hence in all probability a short supply of pork 

 another year. Pasturage has been short most of the season, and yet stock of all 

 kinds go into the winter in good shape. Very small losses on horses, cattle, and 

 sheep; though few in our county, they have done well. Hog cholera is supposed to 

 have been introduced by bringing in hogs from infected districts. 



MONONA. The disease known as hog cholera first struck this county during the 

 year 1870; It was introduced from Harrison, the county south of us. The disease 

 was nearly three years in spreading- over the county, first striking my place in Au- 

 gust, 1879; The losses over the county continued' more or less until the years 1885, 

 1886, when it became almost continuous and unusual, our losses, being very heavy. 

 With the beginning of the winter of 1880-'87 the disease seemed to have spent its 

 force and rapidly disappeared, and, with the exception of a few cases during 1887, 

 we have been clear of the disease and our hogs have been- doing remarkably well. 

 Before the introduction of cholera swine with us were almost universally healthy, 

 having no disease that affected whole herds at a time. Our losses were then con- 

 fined to occasional mdlvidual animals. With the exception of black-leg, cattle have 

 been visited: with no destructive disease. 



MONROE. The disease of hog cholera; has never come under my observation. I 

 doubt if it has ever prevailed 1 to any extent in this county. Cattle are thin but in 

 good health. Glanders prevailed among horses in one section of the county, but 

 there is none now. 



MONTGOMERY. I find that hog cholera has prevailed in this county for at least 

 twenty years, and as these am' marls are one of our staple products we have tried 

 hard to find out its origin and how to stop it. I find that our farmers have spent 

 from time to time at least $20; 000 in endeavors to arrest the scourge, but without 

 avail. From my knowledge of the disease I am inclined to think it comes from in- 

 breeding. I have seen a lot of apparently healthy hogs get droopy and die inside 

 of twenty-four hours. Our hog raisers generally say: "I will do so and so if hog 

 cholera does not strike me." From that tune on he goes on hope alone. Our losses 

 for the past year will perhaps aggregate $40,000. Other classes of farm animals are 

 healthy. 



MUSCATINE. In some neighborhoods in this county hog cholera has been very 

 bad. I have known some farmers to lose a thousand dollars' worth of hogs in one 

 week. The disease was very fatal within a mil of my farm, on the east side, eight 

 years ago, and within two miles on the west side about six years ago. It is not hi 

 my neighborhood now, but it still exists in other parts of the county. I estimate 

 the losses from this disease for tile current year at $48,000. During the past quarter 

 of a century I have reared and fattened a number of hogs every year, ana yet I 

 never had; the cholera or any other hog disease on my place, and I have never ''doc- 

 tored'" my hogs with medicine or preventives. Some farmers whose hogs have died 

 were, I think, disposed to doctor them too much,. I am of the opinion that hogs 

 fed exclusively on corn for several generations are more liable to disease than those 

 that have ct> variety of food and range. 



PAGE. Hog cholera has been the prevailing disease among swine in this county- 

 Some farmers have had a good many sick but have lost none, while others lose' their 

 entire herd. No diseases prevailing among cattle or sheep worth mentioning. 



POCAHONTAS. Hog cholera made its appearance in this county in 1879, but at 

 this time we are nearly clear of the disease. 



PALO ALTO. Iru i860 there was considerable loss in hogs, and the disease was re- 

 puted cholera. It was confined to the southern part of the county principally. 

 There has never been any disease in the northern part of the county. Since t&at 

 time there has been an occasional loss, but I have heaixj men say they did not be- 

 lieve a genuine case of hog cholera had ever been in the county more like quinsy. 

 A few hogs have died this year of a throat disease. There were about 4,000 horses 

 in the county last spring, and the increase is about 30 per cent, There were about 



