36 Pork Production 



Sanitation. 



One of the conditions of good health is sanitary sur- 

 roundings. In the winter management of the breeding 

 herd, the sleeping quarters should be the chief concern 

 in the effort to maintain healthful conditions. No hog 

 can thrive if his bed is damp or dusty. Rheumatism, 

 bad colds, coughs, and pneumonia are the ailments most 

 commonly the result of overcrowded dusty sleeping 

 quarters. Such conditions not only cause irritation to 

 the nasal and bronchial passages and induce colds and 

 rheumatism, but the dust particles may carry the germs 

 of disease like cholera and tuberculosis. There should 

 be enough air to prevent steaming and the quarters should 

 be cleaned with sufficient frequency to keep them clean 

 and free from dust. 



The frequency with which the bedding should be 

 changed and the quarters cleaned depends chiefly on 

 the weather and the character of the floors. When the 

 weather is cold and things are frozen up tight, it is much 

 easier to keep the quarters dry and sanitary than when 

 the weather is warm and the ground soft. Likewise, 

 well-constructed buildings with tight floors require much 

 less work to keep clean than do poorly constructed houses 

 with leaky roofs and dirt floors. As a rule, the houses 

 should be cleaned thoroughly once a week. When the 

 bedding has been removed, it is a good plan to lay the dust 

 by sprinkling with crude oil. An occasional spraying 

 with a strong disinfectant is desirable, also, to keep the 

 quarters from harboring lice and disease germs. When 

 the weather is cold, bedding should be supplied in liberal 

 quantities ; when very warm, the less bedding the better 

 if the dust is kept down and the floors are dry. 



