122 DISEASES OP SWINE AND OTH^E ANIMALS. 



fresli dirt. The opinioii tliat corn, almost alone, is snfficient food for 

 swine, and contains all tliat is necessary for the growth and develop- 

 ment of the animal, will not be abandoned by the average farmer until 

 after many costly lessons from experience, Awhile attempting to freight 

 their corn crops to market throngh this uncertain mediimi of transpor- 

 tation. A jndicious and intelligent system of in-breeding cannot be 

 abandoned without a rapid reversion to the ill-shai^en animal of forty 

 years ago, nnd we do not insist that in-breeding, when judiciously and 

 intelligently practiced, is materially deteriorating in its influence upon 

 the health and constitution of swine; it is only by coupling animals near 

 related, that have a constitutional defect or a diseased tendency, and 

 where these defects and tendencies are duplicated, that such a course 

 becomes positively injurious. In the natural state of swine, when run- 

 ning at large and growhig up without man's intervention, in-breeding 

 frequently occurs ; and the bad tendencies are warded off hj the more 

 \dgorous males fighting oft' or destroying the feeble ones and becoming 

 the sires of the race. Thus nature provides for a "survival of the 

 fittest." In artificial breeding, the selections made for breeding purposes 

 are too often made with special reference to shape and beauty, and too 

 little consideration is given to vigor and constitution. There is no prac- 

 tical test made in the i)rize-ring between the most comely male and his 

 less handsome brother, as to which is by nature best entitled to become 

 the sire ; but the breeder makes the choice from other considerations 

 than "might makes right." Good feeding is the counterpart of good 

 breeding ; but there is a marked difference between good feeding and 

 overfeeding or stuffing. Good feeding consists in gi\ing an amount of 

 good healthy food in sufficient A'ariety to provide for the waste of the 

 body, and in quantity only sufficient to develop the future growth of the 

 animal. Overfeeding or stuffing consists in pushing the amount of food 

 to the full assimilative capacity of the animal, with a view to the greatest 

 jjossible amount of excessive llesh. The first is essential to good breed- 

 ing; the other is deteriorating to the constitutional vigor of the animal. 



TEEATIMENT OF THE DISEASE. 



This branch of the subject we might sum up in these few words: Ko 

 remedy was discovered having any marked beneficial effect ui)on the 

 disease when once fully estabhshed ; no farmer was found who ever in 

 his own experience tried any remedy or remedies that seemed to exert 

 any well marked ciu^ative effect upon the disease. Many isolated cases 

 were rei:)orted ; one animal recovered by having the tip end of its tail 

 cut off"; two, by being saturated with coal-oil, and a few others of like 

 absurdity. 



The announcement of the names of the individual members of the 

 conunission appointed to conduct this examination brought to our notice 

 by letter a large number of so-called hog " cholera cures," which their 

 several proprietors asked us to test, or aUow them to test in our pres- 

 ence. As the requests were coupled with the expressed or understood 

 condition that in case said remedies proved efficient cures their proprie- 

 tor should have the benefit, for his private use and gain, of an official 

 indorsement of the remedy, we did not think the investigation of such 

 remedies for such x>urpose came within the range of duties properly 

 devolving upon a commission appointed to make an investigation at the 

 public expense for the pubhc good, and therefore declined to answer all 

 communications relating to such subjects. What valuable discoveries 

 left in temporary obscurity by our course in the matter time alone must 



