258 DISEASES OF SWINE 



wandering about all day, returning home toward nightfall. He was 

 a harmless animal, but at the same time was practically worthless 

 as far as any real value went. 



It was not until about the middle of June that Shep discovered 

 the newly made graves in the pasture, and began an investigation 

 on his own hook. He soon had burrowed down to the dead car- 

 casses and unearthed one of the bones, which he proceeded to 

 drag home with him. It was not many days until he had the barn- 

 yard of his home premises Uttered with all sort of remains of the 

 recently infected cholera animals. 



The hogs on this farm were kept in a feed lot immediately along- 

 side the barnyard, but did not have the run of the barn lot itself. 

 Several of the small pigs, however, had discovered holes along the 

 fence through which they were able to crawl and make their way 

 into the barn lot, and thus increase the size of their range. 



As a result, it was not long until Shep had considerable oppo- 

 sition for possession of the remains of the cholera carcasses which 

 he had dragged home. Also, it was but a Httle over a week after 

 he began bringing home these virus-laden bones that the pigs 

 on this farm began to show marked signs of severe illness. In a 

 few days they were dying rapidly, and it was not long until the 

 older animals had become infected through the diseased discharges 

 of these pigs. The final outcome was that the entire herd was 

 wiped out in the course of a month. 



The outbreak this time did not stop at this one farm, but was 

 rapidly spread, due to the fact that this last farmer was incUned 

 to be a bit careless in the disposal of his dead carcasses, and simply 

 hauled them over into a distant field and dumped them into a 

 ravine. Here they were soon surrounded by an enormous flock 

 of hungry buzzards, which aided in scattering broadcast the seeds 

 of infection. In the course of a month hogs were dying by the 

 hundreds over this section of the state, and the final summing up 

 was a loss of several thousand dollars, which was traceable directly 

 to one worthless dog. 



This outbreak again serves to demonstrate the disadvantages 

 of burial, even when properly done, as a method of disposing of 

 dead animal carcasses. Had this first farmer burned his dead 

 hogs instead of burying them he would have had a much easier 



