TREATMENT OF CHOLERA 261 



other, and each had a large feed lot facing on the public roadway. 

 Farmer A had a large flock of chickens which derived their liveli- 

 hood almost entirely from what they were able to pick up in the 

 feed lots following the cattle and hogs. The chickens were in the 

 habit of crossing the road over into the feed lot of neighbor B with 

 about the same freedom that they enjoyed in their home feed lot. 

 In the latter part of August B took some select animals of his herd 

 and exhibited them at a county fair a few miles distant. Upon 

 their arrival home from the county fair the animals were appa- 

 rently in first-class shape, but four or five days later they began 

 to appear a little off feed, and within two days developed all the 

 symptoms of old-fashioned hog-cholera. The disease spread rap- 

 idly through the herd and the death-rate was very high. 



A did not at any time enter the infected feed lots of B, and there 

 was no direct communication of any kind between the two herds 

 of hogs except that estabhshed by the chickens passing back and 

 forth across the road. Within two weeks after the outbreak on B's 

 farm A noted that several of his hogs were refusing feed. He 

 telegraphed at once for a car and shipped them all out to market. 

 On the way 3 died and 5 were condemned at slaughter. 



This outbreak brings to our attention a new source of danger 

 that is frequently entirely overlooked. This is the great frequency 

 with which hogs may become infected while being exhibited at 

 stock shows, county fairs, state fairs, and like exhibitions, where 

 there are collected large numbers of hogs shipped from various 

 parts of the country. Almost invariably there are one or two 

 cholera- infected animals in such an exhibit, and it is not long 

 until the exhibition grounds are well filled with the infection, and 

 a severe outbreak may even start up right on the fair grounds. 

 This in itself is bad enough, but is a very small loss compared with 

 the losses which more frequently occur as the result of the develop- 

 ment of the disease in the animals after they have been returned 

 home and again placed in the pens with the regular herd. 



This outbreak also shows with what frequency cholera is carried 

 by apparently unimportant means. Now, in this case, A purposely 

 remained away from going into B's feed lots, as he had heard that 

 it was possible to carry the infection from one farm to another. 

 It never occurred to him, however, that the flock of chickens which 



