In Farmers' Bulletin 834 (revised)
attention Is called to the fact that the
serum Is most efficacious when admin
istered as a preventive. "While the
serum is regarded as most efficacious
when administered as a preventive,"
the bulletin points out, "it seems to
have some curative value, provided It
is administered when hogs are in the
very early stages of the disease. But
very little benefit can be expected
from the treatment of hogs that are
visibly sick."
"Serum should be used with the un
derstanding that it is a preventive
rather than a curative agent." "It has
been stated that serum alone has some
value in treating sick hogs. This Is
true within a certain limitation. Ordi
narily it Is efficacious only in the very
early stage of the disease, before the
hogs show visible signs of sickness."
In a bulletin issued ^recently by Dr.
R. C. Reed, chief of animal industry,
Cleaning Up the Hoghouse.
Maryland state board of agriculture,
appears the following': "An analysis
of the data obtained from sick herds,
vaccinated in Maryland during 1919,
shows that over one-fifth of the swine
had died or were too sick to treat be
fore the herds were immunized." In
formation from other states where
control work has recently been con
ducted points to a similar lack of
prompt attention in reporting out
breaks of hog cholera. Much of the
criticism and unfavorable comment
against anti-hog-cholera serum are due
to the fact that farmers delay the use
of the product for too long a period
after cholera has reached the herd.
When many of the animals show
symptoms of the disease and the tem
perature reveals a high fever, it is
not reasonable to suppose that serum
will do much toward limiting losses.
