288 SWINE 



cially at the side of the neck, and may also help to keep 

 other parts of the hog free. Such a post is made of hard 

 wood set in the ground. A hole is bored down in the cen- 

 ter of this post from the top ; holes are also bored in the 

 side of the post meeting the center hole and these are 

 plugged with soft wood. The hole in the post is then 

 filled with kerosene oil, which will seep through the soft 

 wood plugs to the outside of the post. Kerosene or any 

 other form of oil is deadly to insects of any kind because 

 they breathe by means of small openings in the side of 

 their body. If a little oil is put on an insect these breath- 

 ing pores will be stopped up and the insect will die as 

 quickly as an animal would if put beneath the water. 

 Thus when the hog rubs against this post, he gets the oil 

 onto his skin, and this will destroy the lice and also the 

 nits which the oil touches. , 



Rubbing and Spraying with Oil. — Another means of 

 destroying lice is by simply, rubbing those parts of the 

 hog infested with nits with a cloth soaked in kerosene or 

 in any other form of grease. While this is a rather slow 

 process it is very effective. 



A more rapid means is with a spray pump. Either a 

 kerosene emulsion, which is a solution of kerosene and 

 water, or crude oil may be used. Ordinarily a force spray 

 pump, such as can be set into a bucket of the solution, 

 held in place with one foot and worked with one hand, is 

 used. The short piece of hose containing the nozzle is 

 held in the other hand, and after the hogs are driven into 

 their sleeping place or cot, they, are thoroughly sprayed. 

 In such an operation care must be taken to entirely cover 

 the hog at all points with the solution. This is some- 

 times difficult to do as the under side of a hog, especially 

 in the arm pits, is not very easily reached. The advan- 



