REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 241 



CATAHOULA. Hog cholera first appeared here in 1862. The symptoms were 

 vomiting, purging, and fever. They all died in piles in bed. The post mortems 

 showed inflamed bowels, and generally the liver and lungs were found affected. 

 The disease lias visited this parish about every three years since. On its first ap- 

 pearance it remained two years. We last had the disease, in 1885, when the symp- 

 toms were different, there being purging and vomiting; but the hogs had a high 

 fever, and many of them went crazy and wild. 



DE SOTO. My individual opinion is that cholera and disease of that kind can be 

 attributed to poverty for a long time, followed by some natural overfeed. Hogs 

 are allowed to run at large here and " root, pig, or die." A field of peas, corn, or 

 oats becomes available. The change of food and excess of food will produce dis- 

 ease in either man or beast. For two years we have made corn, and hogs are kept 

 in good condition. For two years we have heard of no cholera. 



EAST FELICIANA. Hog cholera has been in this parish more or less to my knowl- 

 edge for thirty-two years. In 1859 I had a fine lot of hogs that I fed twice a day with 

 corn, and had fine range for them to run in. In the month of April they commenced 

 to die some very suddenly, others lingered for a week before death. I tried char- 

 coal, red pepper, turpentine, and calomel, but nothing appeared to do any good. Out 

 of 150 head I lost all but 15. Some few recovered, but were not fit to kill for two 

 years after. They lost all their hair, and became scaly and rough. The disease will 

 appear in a neighborhood, and some places v/ill lose nearly all, while the adjoining 

 place will not lose any. Cotton seed kills a good many young hogs in the winter 

 and spring. It affects them something like choking quinsy. The condition of stock 

 is better for the year 1887 than for many years, owing to mild weather. Stock in 

 the South is badly treated as a general thing no care, and no feed in the winter 

 except what they gather for themselves. Before the hog cholera appeared hogs 

 were very healthy. A great many are raised in the wild woods, without feed or 

 attention. 



GRANT. Cholera has prevailed among hogs in this parish ever since 1860-'62. 

 Many hogs died; among those that remained in the woods but very few died. Hogs 

 have died for several years past, it was supposed from cholera. In the year 1886, 

 and again in the spring of 1887, nearly all the old hogs died around home and in the 

 woods. I think the disease was caused by eating acorns that were spoiled, which 

 produces large quantities of worms, and the worms produce cholera. Hogs that are 

 not infested with worms do not have cholera. Hogs are dying now in this parish, 

 but on examination after death their lungs seem to be diseased, which I think is 

 caused by sleeping under old houses and about gin-houses. 



FRANKLIN. The disease called hog cholera among us first made its appearance in 

 1863, and carried off fully three-fourths of the hogs in our parish. It came without 

 warning, but how or from whence has remained a mystery. Hogs were affected 

 in various ways; some were attacked similarly to stock which have scours. They 

 generally wasted away and died within eight or ten days. Others were attacked 

 with a cough accompanied with thumps. They also lingered a few days and died. 

 Still others died suddenly and apparently without a struggle. It was remarked that 

 those which were fattest died first, and without showing any previous symptoms of 

 disease. Before that disease came hogs were remarkably healthy, and the whole 

 country was literally alive with them, and as nine-tenths of the country was unoc- 

 cupied, every farmer could raise hundreds of pigs every year. Since that time the 

 existence of hogs has become very precarious, and it is with difficulty that the most 

 careful can keep enSugh for home consumption. 



LIVINGSTON. Hog cholera, or a disease called by that name, made its appearance 

 in this parish about five years ago, and has been prevalent in some parts of the parish 

 ever since. It is now raging in the southern part of the parish. It is hard to esti- 

 mate the percentage lost, but it will reach 75 per cent. I have heard of no remedy 

 for the disease. 



MOREHOUSE. Hog cholera appeared in this parish about 1865. Those dying were 

 fat and in fine order. They were taken with loss of appetite; in some the bowels 

 ran off; others on opening were found with bowels impacted with feces and highly 

 inflamed but dry, as presented by the skin of the human family. They would stand 

 and squeal, turning round and round, finally crawl off a short distance and die. An- 

 other time 8 or 10 head would be found dead in the bed, all as if they had died while 

 sleeping. The mortality was fearful for several years up to 1868-'72. In 1873-'75 

 it again broke out, killing out 90 per cent, of the grown and half-grown hogs. As 

 late as 1879-'81 it was still fearful, 70 per cent, dying. Of late, since 1883, it seems 

 to have almost disappeared. I can not ascribe its giving way to any cause other 

 than those surviving having " had it," did not communicate it, and the germ has 

 died out for lack of pabulum. There are no hogs raised in inclosures, so that the 

 range was free to all and the disease spread at will. No care could be taken of the 



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