238 EEPOET OF THE BIJEEAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



instead of the once careless manner of treating him, it requires care and attention 

 to successfully- propagate his speciescare first and cure next. Previous to the ^rear 



1855 hog cholera was unknown in this county, and hogs generally were healthy. 

 LEE. Hog cholera made its first appearance in this county in 1858, among hogs 



that were brought from the interior of Kentucky. It has been here about every 

 other year since generally of a mast year.. The majority of farmers in this county 

 think it is the acorns that cause it. There have been no cases of the disease in the 

 county this year. Hogs and all other stock have been healthy this year* Prior to 



1856 hogs in this county were healthy. 



LETCHER, Hog cholera has been very prevalent in tJiis county the past year, 

 more than half the hogs having died from the disease. I can not give the year in 

 which the disease first appeared. We believe it originated here from feeding hogs 

 on still-slops from distilleries. 



LINCOLN. There has been no epidemic of the disease commonly termed hog 

 cholera in this county for some time. In some localities quite a number of swine 

 have been lost, the loss being confined almost entirely to pigs and young hogs. 

 From my observation I think the disease termed hog cholera is more like pneumo- 

 nia or an affection of the lungs. Forty years ago hog cholera was not heard of, 

 but the hogs died frequently ot a disease called quinsy, the old hogs being scarcely 

 ever affected with it. We once lost 100 pigs, from a lot of 105, with quinsy. In 

 the wooded districts, or where hogs have a large range and plenty of leaves to make 

 their beds in, they are much healthier than where kept in inclosures and about 

 farms and stables. The putting of rings in our hogs' noses to protect the grass is 

 good for the grass, but hard on the hogs. I have frequently lost some from cold, 

 freezing weather soon after ringing them, and especially if ringed when young. 



MAETIN. About the year 1850 hog cholera made its appearance in this county, 

 killing hundreds of animals. Its first symptoms were in the throat and head, some- 

 times in the side in the form of boils, sometimes in the feet, and every foot would 

 be affected, taking some of the feet off at the first joint. We tried every known 

 remedy with but little success. The cause of the disease and its origin we could 

 not discover. Before its appearance hogs were healthy and. thrifty 



MABSHAJLL. There has been in our county this year distemper among horses. 

 But few have died. Hog cholera made its appearance in thisoounty in 1860. How 

 it was introduced I can not tell, unless by the importation of better breeds. In the 

 year 1860 we had a heavy mast; some attribute the disease to that. My attention 

 has been called to the fact that hogs that are kept from the woods generally escape 

 the disease. 



MASON. Hog cholera was unknown in our county until about thirty years ago. 

 How it was first introduced is unknown. Until that time hogs were healthy. The 

 thumps and sore throat were the only diseases that troubled hogs to my knowledge 

 previous to the advent of cholera. I have never had cholera among my hogs but 

 once. It was a dry year and the water was bad. My hogs have rangy pastures 

 and good, dry places (but not dusty) to sleep in. I feed on corn. I don't keep many 

 now. Cleanliness is necessary to the health of hogs. 



MERCER. My first knowledge of hog cholera was in the year of 1850, when it 

 made its appearance in the pens at the different distilleries on the Ohio Eiver, 

 notably at New Richmond, Ohio. I had never known or heard of it before. At 

 that time all hogs seemed affected alike, all vomiting and purging, but of late years 

 more suffer from constipation than anything else. In my thirty years' experience 

 I have had it among my hogs three times, the past summer being the worst. I 

 have never found anything do them any good after they have taken it and would 

 not give a cent for any remedy that has ever yet been prescribed. I think it prob- 

 able that strong home-made soap, given in large quantities, might possibly serve as 

 a preventive, but my opinion is that it is now an established disease with hogs, as 

 much so as distemper with horses, pneumonia with cattle, or measles with man- 

 kind, and am not sure that it is not well for farmers that it is so, as they are but 

 poor pay to the producer at best. There have been no unusual diseases among our 

 stock except in the case of thoroughbred racing stock. Among these a very fatal 

 disease has prevailed. Various opinions have been expressed regarding it. To me 

 it appeared to be distemper in a most malignant form. 



METCALF. -There has been no hog cholera in this county for three years. What 

 produces it I have never been able to tell. There is no disease at present existing 

 among any class of farm animals. 



MONTGOMERY. My observation is that hog cholera always follows an oak mast 

 in this county. The last mast was about ten years ago and hogs died by the thou- 

 sands. In the county of Carter there was a light mast last fall and hogs to some 

 extent died of cholera. The mast was soon consumed, however, and the cholera 

 abated, There was no cholera in Carter and Elliott Counties until the white-oak 



