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Show HOG LOSSES FROM DISEASE LOWEST IN 35 YEARS The following article is taken from a report issued by the United States Department of Agriculture: The death rate in swine from all diseases for the year ending March, 1918, announced by the United States Department of Agriculture as 42.1 per 1,000, is the lowest in 35 years, according accord-ing to records kept during that period. This unprecedently low rate of mortality mor-tality presents a great contrast with those earlier periods, particularly with the losses of 133.8 per 1,000 in 1S87, 144 per 1,000 in 1897 and 118.9 per 1,000 in 1914, years marked by severe outbreaks of hog cholera. This is even a remarkable reduction from the. normal low rate of losses which has remained slightly above 50 per 1,000 when the disease was least prevalent. What Losses Mean in Meat The approximate number of hogs on hand January 1, 1918 was 71,347,-000. 71,347,-000. The loss of 42.1 per 1,000 for the year ending March, 1918, therefore represents approximately 3,000,000 of these animals, equivalent to the consumption con-sumption of pork and pork products by the entire population of the United States for 1917 for 25 days. These recent losses should be compared com-pared with the 7,000,000 hogs in 1914, which curtailed production to the extent ex-tent of the national consumption for that year of 37 days. The marked reduction in the losses of swine in 1918 over preceding periods, per-iods, in view of the fact that 90 per cent of these losses are due to hog cholera, indicates clearly the benefit from the combined efforts of State and Federal agencies in protecting the farmers against the ravages of this exceedingly fatal disease. |