190 BOARD OF AGRICULTUEP:. [Pub. Doc. 



in Massachusetts, a History of the Earlier Agitation concern- 

 ing it, and Efforts of the State for its Eradication and 

 Control." 



October 12 and 13 the Chief of the Cattle Bureau was 

 present at a conference on hog cholera, at Ames, la., which 

 he attended by authority of His Excellency the Governor, to 

 represent the Cattle Bureau of the Massachusetts State 

 Board of Agriculture. This conference was one of a series of 

 similar conferences held at an ex]ieriment station of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture at Ames, attended 

 by delegates from different States, invited there by the Chief 

 of the Bureau of Animal Industry to be given demonstrations 

 of what the Department of Agriculture is doing in immu- 

 nizing swine from hog cholera. Representatives from only a 

 few States are invited to each conference, so that the demon- 

 strations can be given to but a few at a time, which is of 

 greater benefit to those present than one crowded meeting 

 would be. 



At the meeting attended by the writer there were present, 

 beside the Chief of the United States Bureau of Animal In- 

 dustry, Dr. Melvin, the chief of the biochemic division, Dr. 

 Dorset ; Dr. I^iles, in charge of the experiment station, and 

 his assistants ; two veterinarians from the Canadian Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture ; the State veterinarian of Illinois ; the 

 State veterinarian of Montana ; the veterinarian of the State 

 Experiment Station of Wyoming, and the bacteriologist of 

 the Delaware Department of Agriculture. 



The results that have been accomplished by the govern- 

 ment in immunizing swine from hog cholera are most valuable 

 and interesting. It has been found that swine can be success- 

 fully immunized, and also that it is practicable to do so. 

 This is done by using serum from the blood of a hyperim- 

 munized hog, and virulent blood from a pig having hog 

 cholera in an acute form. About 20 cubic centimeters of the 

 serum is injected with a hypodermic syringe inside the thigh 

 of the pig to be immunized, and 2 cubic centimeters of viru- 

 lent blood serum inside the other thigh, and the combination 

 of serum and virulent blood seems to give the pig to be pro- 



