262 REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



a great number of hogs raised to follow cattle. Hog cholera had never been heard 

 of here before 1882, when it first appeared and raged for some two years, almost 

 every farmer suffering from it. Having had some experience myself, and from all 

 I can hear in addition. I claim that worms have a great deal to do with it ; and an- 

 other important thing is that it usually originates among hogs that have not been 

 properly taken care of, and spreads from them to others. Clean food, clean water, 

 and clean pens, and not too many together are essential, I think, to keeping them 

 healthy. I also believe that hogs dying are very often spoken of as doing so from 

 hog cholera, when there is no such thing as the cholera about. There is one par- 

 ticular reason for hogs dying which I wish to give, and which is very often imputed 

 to hog cholera in this section of the county. Being very cold hi winter hogs pile up 

 in their sheds, get thoroughly boiled, as it were, and then go out into the open air 

 to eat. They naturally catch cold, and sicken and die. Another great mistake, in 

 my opinion, is putting hogs into a feed lot with cattle when too young. I don't 

 think they should be put in until they weigh 40 to 60 pounds, or, in other words, 

 are large enough to " hustle" with those of a larger size, and to get out of the way 

 of cattle. 



THAYER. Cholera prevails among hogs in this county. The symptoms are dull- 

 ness, prostration, hiding under the litter, unwillingness to rise, hot, dry skin, 

 sunken eyes, unsteady gait behind, impaired appetite, ardent thirst, and increased 

 temperature, with much heat and soreness of the skin, with red patches and black 

 spots. The tongue is thickly furred; a hard, dry cough is frequent. Have received 

 good results from feeding well-boiled rye or barley, or corn-starch made with boil- 

 ing water. As a preventive bury the carcass, thoroughly disinfect, watch the swine 

 for the first sign of illness, and separate, if possible, from the herd as soon as first 

 sign of disease is observed, and feed charcoal, soda, carbolic acid, or sulphate of iron 

 to the healthy ones as a preventive. 



WASHINGTON. As near as I can ascertain hog cholera made its first appearance 

 in this county about fourteen years ago. As to the mode of its introduction I have 

 not been able to determine, but believe it to have been introduced by the importa- 

 tion of diseased stock hogs from the East. Having lost heavily by its ravages I 

 have made it a point to find out all that 1 could in regard to it, both by observation 

 and the experience of others. That it originates in the hog from the effects of a 

 parasite there is no doubt. There is plenty of proof that crows will spread the disease 

 by means of the parasite adhering to their feet, legs, and feathers. During the sum- 

 mer months, when they are nesting, the disease spreads but slowly. In the fall 

 they flock in countless numbers to the pens where hogs are fed, and soon it spreads 

 with increased rapidity. Last fall there were but few crows and but few cases of 

 the plague in the county. This fall they are very numerous and many are losing 

 large numbers of hogs. People here believe as long as there are crows there will 

 be hog cholera, or, in other words, as long as crows have access to the pens the dis- 

 ease will last. We have tried all the remedies within our reach without avail, either 

 as a cure or preventive. Hogs were considered as being very healthy previous to 

 the advent of cholera. Those who have kept their hogs in close quarters (from dis- 

 eased hogs and crows) have not lost them, but this mode is impossible by those feed- 

 ing cattle. 



WAYNE. For thirty years I have been raising hogs and have paid my full share 

 of hog-cholera (so-called) fax. I claim there are more hogs die of lung trouble than 

 all other diseases combined. I have long since come to the conclusion that the hog 

 disease is all right. My experience is that we get about as many dollars for a half 

 crop as a whole one, and the dollar seems to be the one thing sought after. Three 

 years ago this fall, I think, the disease struck our county. It found a poor man in the 

 east end of the county with 120 young hogs. It took all but a few. He never knew 

 where it came from. It went among his neighbors' hogs and spent its fury. Since 

 that time it has been in different parts, until it has been over the entire county. 

 Almost all have lost a greater or less number. We have 175 hogs now. About ten 

 days ago they were attacked, and we will no doubt have less in the next ten days. 

 Some lose the use of their limbs; some are purged; some are constipated, dull, and 

 stupid, lie in their beds and grunt, and finally die. It is common in our neighbor- 

 hood to save about 50 per cent. Occasionally a poor man loses all. Now and then 

 we find a smart "Alec" that has a cure or preventive, but when his hogs are at- 

 tacked they, like other hogs, die. Three years ago I bought 100 head 20 miles away, 

 from one man. He kept 32; 20 soon died. Mine all grew to be fat hogs. 



WEBSTER. There has been no hog cholera in this county this winter, but there 

 was some during the summer and fall. A good many hogs died of the disease. 

 There is no other disease among hogs. 



WHEELER. We can not follow the track of cholera in hogs very well in this 

 county. It seems mostly to be confined to the low lands in the river valleys. On 



