Mange of Swine

COMMON MANGE OF HOGS is a contagious skin disease which costs swine growers huge sums of money each year, and they pay the bill whether they know it or not. There are no specific data on losses at the farm and feed lot, but as mange stunts the growth of young hogs, delays fattening, and causes some deaths, the estimated losses at these sources probably average about $2 an animal in infected herds. In addition, mangy hogs shipped to market are usually sold at a discount of irom 50 cents to $1.50 a hundredweight. The average yield of the principal cuts per hog at packing houses is 35 pounds of hams, 30 pounds of bacon, and 15 pounds of picnics, or a total of 80 pounds of the most valuable parts of the carcass. When the skin over these parts is mangy, the grade and consequently the selling price are lowered—hence the discount on the price of the live hog. Common mange is more or less prevalent throughout the United States, and the total number of infected hogs is large. The losses, therefore, are sufficiently impressive to emphasize the fact that the disease is a serious menace to the industry. Fortunately there is a brighter side to the picture. Several years ago the Bureau of Animal Industry made an investigation of mange of swine and conducted experiments on treating infected hogs, and the findings showed that the disease yields readily to proper treatment and is easily eradicated. A contagious disease, however^ cannot be eradicated by temporizing or following slipshod methods. Mange is caused by a well-known parasite and is not a filth-borne disease. Good sanitation and careful feeding are essential parts of all successful methods of swine pro-