Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1915 — Hog Cholera Control. [ARTICLE]

Hog Cholera Control.

There has been a large number of scattered outbreaks of hog cholera inMndiana during the past winter. The loss from this disease in 1914 was about the average for the past fourteen years, or about 300,000 hogs. More can be done in the control of hog cholera in your community at this time than later in On farms that are free of infection, it is well to remove all manure, and clean the hog yards by scraping together the corn cobs and hauling them to the fields to be plowed under-; all wallow holes should be filled; the hog houses and cots should be sprayed with a disinfectant. .?These precautions should be taken before the arrival of warm weather. If there has been hog cholera infection on the farm during the last several months, it is necessary to practice more rigid precautions in ridding the premised of the disease. All litter such as manure, cobs and straw piles should be* burned or hauled to a field where there"is nT danger of spreading the infection. It is not advisable to scatter it over the field, as there is danger of birds distributing the cholera infection to neighboring farms. If piled up for a few months and mixed with chloride of lime, it is then safe to scatter the manure over the field. All wallow holes should' be filled in. The fences about the yards, lot and hog houses should be sprayed with a three per cent water solution of a cresol disinfectant. A small (inanity of lime may be added to the disinfecting solution so that the sprayed surface appears white and the danger of failure to spray the entire surface is avoided. Quick lime should be scattered about the yards. If the above precautions are practiced following an outbreak, the yards may be safely restocked in two or three months with hogs. It is well to treait all hogs in an infected herd, that are not showing serious symptoms of hog cholera, with anti-hog cholera serum. The healthy hogs in the herd should be vaccinated by the simultaneous method. The carcasses of hogs dying of hog cholera should be burned. All hogs on farms that adjoins premises where there is an outbreak of hog cholera, or that have been directly exposed to the disease should be vaccinated by the simultaneous method. We consider this a necessary control measure because of the attitude of the average farmer toward the quarantine measures recommended by health officers. The veterinary department can supply anti-hog .cholera serum through the local veterinarians. Application blanks will be furnished upon request; The cost of production and administration is charged for the serum, and the farmer is expected to furnish the department a report of the results of the vaccination or treatment. C. :H. CLINK, Assistant in Serum Production. Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station.