HOG-CHOLERA SERUM 319 



sive experiment in the handling of the disease by means of serum. 

 Previous efforts had been Hmited in scope by the small amount of 

 available funds, and the advocates of the new treatment were un- 

 able to carry out the work with their own personal funds. 



For purpose of carrying out these experiments one county each 

 was selected in Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska, and ar- 

 rangements made to carry out the work in co-operation with the 

 state and county agricultural and veterinary authorities. In 

 most cases the work was more or less closely affiliated with that 

 being done by the state experiment stations. 



Stimulated by the example of the Federal Government, many 

 of the State Legislatures made appropriations for conducting of 

 experimental demonstrations on the part of the state agricultural 

 college as experiment stations. Serum plants are now in operation 

 in practically every important hog-raising state, and this method of 

 treatment is rapidly coming to the front and receiving the delayed 

 recognition that has been due it for a number of years. 



Results of the 1913 experiments have been very encouraging, 

 and the action of the 1913 and 1914 Congress in materially increas- 

 ing the appropriation for carrying out this work gives promise of 

 widening the scope of the investigations to such a degree as will 

 conclusively demonstrate the fact that we have in hog-cholera 

 serum a method of management of cholera that is of genuine worth, 

 and one which, when properly extended, will entirely eradicate the 

 disease. 



The capacity of the Bureau of Animal Industry serum plant at 

 Ames has been enormously increased, and the production of serum 

 by the various state serum laboratories is now much larger than it 

 was a few months ago. This will make it possible to carry on the 

 1914 campaign in a much more vigorous manner. During the 

 summer of 1913 the men in the field were often handicapped by 

 the fact that they were inadequately supplied with serum. The 

 fact that the Bureau of Animal Industry experiments were not 

 started until after July 1st was also a severe disadvantage, as cholera 

 had already got a wide foothold in many localities at this time, and 

 it was difficult to get the outbreaks under proper control, as would 

 have been possible earlier in the year had the funds been available 

 at that time. 



