EEPOET OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 295 



able to ascertain, but the disease can be clearly traced back for fifteen years, during 

 all of which time it has been more or less prevalent and always very fatal. The 

 disease prevailed in this neighborhood for several years, but was' kept off my estate 

 by close attention to hygienic means, viz., cleanliness, change of range, use of salt 

 and ashes all the year round, and turnips during winter when the animals begin to 

 cough. When, however, the hogs of two neighbors which were on either side of 

 mine were seriously affected, there was no escape. Since that time it has been 

 more or less prevalent in the neighborhood every year. Prior to the introduction 

 of cholera hogs were healthy, being kept on ranges and never penned until put up 

 to be fattened for pork. The only limit to the number raised was the amount of 

 mast or natural food furnished by the range and the size of the corn-crib. The 

 preventive measures recommended by the Department have proved efficacious in 

 arresting the progress of the disease. Diseases have not been more prevalent than 

 usual. Some cases of a new disease among lambs have been reported which have 

 proved qutie fatal, particularly to buck lambs, but its cause, nature, and origin are 

 unknown; should it prevail again I shall ask for an investigation by a veterinary 

 surgeon. 



CRAIG. Hog cholera does not prevail annually in our county. It has made its 

 appearance here about once in every five years, but when it does attack swine it 

 generally makes a clean sweep. The disease generally lasts about three days before 

 it causes death, sometimes not more than twenty-four hours. Some hogs get over 

 the disease. They generally break out in pustules, and shed all their hair. Nothing 

 has proven beneficial as a remedy for chicken cholera. I will give a specific which 

 has been doing wonders, though you will say it is worthless because it is so simple. 

 Fresh-churned butter clear of salt will cure the worst cases I have seen. Fowls 

 not able to walk when fresh butter is crammed down their throats recover in a few 

 hours. Horses, cattle, and sheep are free from contagious diseases. 



FAUQUIER. Hog cholera has prevailed in this county to a greater or less extent 

 for nearly ten years. There is much less of it now among the hogs than for many 

 years past. Nevertheless, hogs are scarce, no doubt from the fact that the hog- 

 raisers had become discouraged by their great losses in previous years from cholera, 

 and did not attempt to raise many hogs this year. The scarcity of hogs in the 

 county is doubtless the reason to some extent why the hogs now on hand are so 

 healthy. There will not be many more hogs raised in this county this year than 

 enough for home consumption. 



GLOUCESTER. Hog cholera made its appearance in this county about fifteen years 

 ago, and is supposed to have been brought in with the introduction of an entirely 

 new breed of animals. 



GOOCHLAND. Hog cholera, as well as I can learn from the oldest inhabitants, 

 made its appearance in this county about thirty-one years ago. I can not find out 

 anything reliable as to its cause. Up to that time hogs were very healthy and prof- 

 itable as a money crop. It would seem that in late years there have not been enough 

 raised to provide meat for home consumption. 



HALIFAX. The hog plague cholera first made its appearance in this county 

 during the fall of 1866, when it killed more than half the hogs in the herds attacked. 

 Portions of the county which escaped the disease in 1866 were visited by the scourge 

 in 1867; and it is a reasonable estimate to place the loss of hogs for both years at 70 

 per cent, of the entire number in the county. Very few of those attacked recov- 

 ered. Since then quinsy and measles have prevailed, killing many hogs. The hog 

 plague again prevailed in the county, culminating in the almost entire destruction 

 of herds, in 1886; since which time hogs have remained comparatively healthy. 

 As late as thirty years ago hogs were considered about the healthiest of farm ani- 

 mals, rarely dying except from eating poison mushrooms after wet seasons in sum- 

 mer. Cholera was entirely unknown here before 1860. A few cattle annually die 

 of splenic fever. Sheep are the healthiest of all farm animals here. 



HANOVER. We consider hog cholera incurable, and that an ounce of prevention 

 is worth more than a pound of cure. Keep hogs in pastures containing pure, fresh 

 water, and let them have access to a mixture composed of salt, sulphur, hickory 

 ashes, and tar, and feed good, sweet grain, and they may escape the disease. 



HENRICO. There has been no hog cholera in this county that I have heard of 

 except among a lot of hogs fed on city garbage, which nearly all died from so-called 

 disease. I have a number of times known of hogs dying when fed on hotel swill, 

 with a disease much like cholera. Sheep are usually healthy. Occasionally one 

 dies with grub in the head, but there has been no foot-rot to my knowledge for 

 years. 



HIGHLAND. The general health of all animals has been good during the past year. 

 I can give you no particulars as to the mode of the introduction of hog cholera into 

 our county. Neither do I know what year it made its first appearance. 



