244 REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



BALTIMORE. My assistants report no hog cholera during the year. I myself 

 have not heard of a single case. In 1865 it prevailed among hogs here. It'first 

 commenced to attract attention that year, and in 1886 it was quite prevalent, and 

 in every case broke out first among those running at large or in fields of grass or 

 stubble. As to its origin and introduction into the county I have no knowledge. 



DORCHESTER. I have heard of no cases of hog cholera this year. Several horses 

 have been lost by various diseases, such as pink-eye, yellow water, blind staggers, etc. 



FREDERICK. I don't hear of any hog cholera at present, but in the latter part of 

 summer it swept off a large number of hogs. Other classes of farm animals have 

 remained free from contagious diseases. 



GARRETT. Very few hogs have died in our county during the past year with 

 cholera, say 25 per cent. We knew nothing about hog cholera until about five 

 years ago. It is still confined to a small portion of the central part of the county. 



SOMERSET. The year of the first appearance of the disease known as hog cholera 

 is unknown to your correspondent ; but a disease which very closely resembles it 

 is known to have prevailed to some extent in this county over thirty years ago. 

 The disease as then known to your correspondent was not so general or so fatal, 

 except to very young hogs, as it has since become. Of late years it has become so 

 general and so fatal in this part of the State as to diminish the pork product largely 

 below the demand of the population. Somerset County now imports more than 

 half the pork consumed within its limits. A farmer told me a few days ago that 

 he had stopped the ravages of the cholera among his swine by the use of tobacco 

 in the water given them. 1 do not know what there is in it, but it may be worth 

 trying by persons having the disease in their herds. About 50 horses died in this 

 county during the months of September and October from the effects of a disease 

 apparently of a malarial character. 



QUEEN ANNE'S. It is very hard to come at the number of hogs lost by cholera 

 in this county. There has not been a time in the last three years that some part of 

 our county wa,s not suffering with the disease. I have never known a case of 

 pleuro-pneumonia in our county. With the exception of hogs we have not had an 

 epidemic to prevail for some years among farm animals. 



TALBOT. Hog cholera has prevailed in our county in a mild form for several 

 years, and has generally been attributed to local causes. But last year it culmi- 

 nated in a more fatal type, becoming highly contagious. In seasons of intense heat 

 hogs that have had access to stagnant pools were the first to show symptoms of the 

 disease. Last year I had about 30 head. All were perfectly healthy until August, 

 when a hog or two sickened and died in a neighbor's field, it having a stagnant 

 pond. Very soon all were dead on a line north and south between our two rivers. 

 I had heavy hogs apparently well at night, and in the morning would find them in 

 a state of congestion, blood oozing from eyes, ears, and through the skin. Others 

 would not die suddenly, but would lie around a day or two. All treatment failed. 

 Those that recovered, if any, were of no value. We call this disease a malignant 

 type of typhoid. I used the knife and found the intestines ulcerated and inflamed. 

 Many feared to examine dead hogs lest the poisonous matter might be communi- 

 cated. Sucking pigs took it from the sow and would all die. This year the disease 

 has been a great deal less prevalent. The season was excessively wet, washing out 

 the pool water. I am inclined to think hog cholera develops when the mercury 

 rises between 90 and 100, with drought, making putrid all pond or pool water,, pro- 

 ducing the germ that produces typhoid. 



WICOMICO. To my knowledge, and the opinion seems to prevail here, hog cholera 

 first appeared ip. this part of the old county of Somerset and Worcester about the 

 year 1864. Wicomico County was created by the constitution of 1867, and since 

 that date we have had several visitations of hog cholera. The most severe was in 

 1873, when it was estimated that 3,000 hogs died in the county. In 1884 the scourge 

 seemed only to attack fat hogs, those in the sty being the greatest sufferers. About 

 2,500 was the estimated number that died, being worth about $12,000. The present 

 year the disease has not been so fatal, yet a number have died in the seventh and 

 ninth districts, also in the second and third. The number was about 200. As be- 

 fore, the fat hogs suffered most. Perhaps they were worth $1,300. Since 1884 I 

 have not heard of the disease in our section. In 1844, I remember, a great many 

 poor hogs died, but poverty was supposed to be the cause. Horses, when well taken 

 care of, seldom die except of old age; but our people treat them badly. Cattle also 

 are badly cared for: seldom well-sheltered in winter. Sheep, a large majority, take 

 their chances in the woods. Hogs do as well as could be expected under the slip- 

 shod way they are treated. Our farmers are a careless set, and a large majority of 

 them should be punished for cruelty to their animals. 



WORCESTER. While hog cholera was not at all general in this county, some dis- 

 tricts lost heavily by the disease. One or two sections lost many horses from a dis- 

 ease termed staggers, Not exceeding one-fourth of those attacked recovered. 



