No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 479 



Swine Diseases. 



During the past year eleven outbreaks of hog cholera, or 

 diseases supposed to be hog cholera, have been reported 

 among swine. In addition to these, one case of tubercu- 

 losis was reported in a pig in Townsend, which was ordered 

 killed by the Board, and was found to have this disease. 



When an outbreak of hog cholera occurs, all it seems 

 possible for the commission to do is to quarantine the 

 premises, and forbid owners to buy or sell any swine until 

 the disease has disappeared. This is usually accomplished 

 by killing the badly diseased, waiting until the sick ones 

 have recovered and no new cases appear, then disinfect the 

 pens. Occasionally where there is a bad outbreak an owner 

 prefers to kill all his swine, disinfect the pens and restock 

 with healthy animals. 



Outbreaks of hog cholera have been reported from Col- 

 rain, Lee, Brockton, Greenfield, Brookline, Medfield, West- 

 field, Stockbridge and Sterling. 



The outbreak in Sterling was found to be due to pneu- 

 monia late in the fall, as a result of not housing the swine 

 properly. These reports involve 523 animals; 420 were 

 released, the others having died or been killed. Those 

 released were the animals left after the outbreaks had sub- 

 sided. 



Where hog cholera appears in a herd of swine, if the ani- 

 mals are large and ready for market, perhaps the best course 

 to pursue is to kill all of them for pork, when all that are 

 found to be free from disease can be utilized and the others 

 sent to the renderers. In a number of cases there seems to 

 be no doubt that hog cholera or swine plague may be caused 

 by feeding swill that has been kept some little time, and 

 not cooked. The germs of hog cholera may perhaps be ob- 

 tained from uncooked swill, as a result of throwing refuse 

 from western pork into it. Swine plague may be produced 

 by the germs of the disease developing in the putrefying 

 swill. The swill from large public institutions, and city 

 swill, seems to be especially dangerous, and should always 

 be cooked before being fed. Small quantities of house 

 swill fed fresh daily to pigs kept at home is less dangerous. 



