544 HORSE, SWINE AND POULTRY DISEASES 



above yours, on the same stream, remove your hogs at once, as the 

 infection is liable to be carried by the stream. Dogs and buzzards, 

 also, are liable to carry the infection of hog cholera and should be 

 kept away if possible. Such measures are simple, but they are 

 very important. 



Range for Swine. While a few swine can be raised confined 

 in limited quarters, if such quarters are kept clean, they will do 

 better, will keep in better health and can be grown more cheaply 

 if they have plenty of range for pasture. It is desirable to have 

 the pasture fenced off into suitable areas so that the hogs can be 

 shifted from one pasture to another, not only to provide fresh pas- 

 ture, but also to afford an opportunity to disinfect the pastures, 

 either by plowing and seeding to a forage crop or by exposure to 

 sun and weather. Nearly all cases of intestinal worms, which are 

 rather common in swine, are contracted from infected ground, and 

 swine can 'be kept free from these parasites by frequent changes of 

 pasture. 



Inexpensive Shelter-Houses. On account of the compara- 

 tively mild climate of Virginia, swine do not need the elaborate 

 shelter that is necessary farther north. After experience with both 

 permanent hog houses, and small portable shelters that can be 

 readily moved from place to place, we consider the small colony 

 houses much superior, so far as maintaining the health of the 

 swine is concerned, and they are also less expensive. 



Bedding for swine should be scant, but of good quality. For- 

 est leaves or corn husks make excellent bedding. Straw soon be- 

 comes ground into a dust that is irritating to the lungs and makes 

 the pigs cough. When infected with germs it is liable to cause the 

 chronic pneumonia, described later in this bulletin. 



All hog houses should be kept clean; they should be thor- 

 oughly disinfected every two or three months and a coat of disin- 

 fecting whitewash applied. (Va. B. 189.) 



Dipping Vats. Dipping vats are made of wood, galvanized 

 iron, or cement. They are set in the ground at a convenient place 

 so that there is good surface drainage away from the vat. A good 

 size for a vat is 10 feet long on top, 8 feet long on the bottom, 1 

 foot wide on the bottom and 2 feet wide on top. The end where 

 the hogs enter should be perpendicular, and the other end in- 

 clined, with cleats, so the hogs can emerge after swimming 

 through. The entrance should be by a slide. Such a tank is very 

 useful wherever hogs are kept in numbers, as frequent dipping 

 tends to keep the hogs healthy and free from parasites. 



For pigs and small shoats that can be readily handled, a barrel 

 serves the purpose well ; the pigs can be caught, plunged in the dip 

 and held there the required time. Some successful swine raisers 

 build cement bathing places or wallows for swine and keep these 

 filled with a watery solution of some dip or disinfecting solution. 

 If swine have wallowing holes filled with water, some of the good 

 dips should be put in these frequently. Dips can also be applied 



