PREDISPOSING CAUSES 113 



Disposal of Carcasses. — There are two other principal methods 

 of disposing of the carcasses of dead animals on the farm: One 

 is by burial in soil and the other by burning. 



The first of these is being found more and more unsatisfactory 

 every year. It is almost always found to be the case that dead 

 animals are not buried deep enough in the soil, and that prowUng 

 dogs, wolves, and other animals very frequently unearth them and 

 bring portions of the dead animal tissue to the surface. Hogs 

 will also root to a considerable distance when attracted by the 

 odor of buried animal tissue. This not only brings the diseased 

 tissues to the surface, and allows of their being eaten by the healthy 

 animals, but it again serves to attract the ever-vigilant buzzard 

 and crow, and these invariably bring with them the germs of infec- 

 tion and sow the seeds for an outbreak of disease. 



Burning is the only satisfactory manner of disposing of dead 

 animal carcasses, and this is only successful when properly carried 

 out. Burning improperly done is just as ineffective as either of the 

 other two methods mentioned above, and results in leaving a 

 partially charred carcass to be feasted upon by animals and birds 

 of prey. 



In this connection, it might also be said that the practice of 

 burying, if properly carried out, might be regarded as fairly satis- 

 factory. The only proper method of burial is where the carcass 

 is placed at least 6 feet under the surface of the ground and 

 covered by 6 inches or a foot of quickhme and then with earth. 



Burning, however, is so much easier and more efficacious than 

 burial that it should be the universal practice. The burning of an 

 animal carcass is a very simple process if properly carried out, and, 

 on the other hand, is a most difficult one when improperly under- 

 taken. 



Proper Method of Burning Carcass. — When it is desired to burn 

 a carcass or number of carcasses, as is often the case with hogs, 

 secure one or two good logs or fence posts of a diameter of 6 or 8 

 inches. These are laid on the ground to form the framework on 

 which the dead body or bodies are placed. In the case of hogs, 

 10 or 12 carcasses can be piled in a tier on a frame of the kind 

 just mentioned. The posts or logs serve to keep the animals off 

 the ground and allow of a continuous air draft beneath. 



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