Reports from various Sources are conflicting, so that the general summing up will not be quite satisfactory.

For example, April 18 it was-said-reports are unanimous that hogs have not been as scarce for many seasons as they are today. There seems to be a fair supply of young pigs in the country, but they will not be fit to market-until late in the spring or early in the coming summer. Reports as to hog cholera seem to be on the increase.

Then at a later date: Illinois reports disease among hogs to a greater or less extent, in forty counties; Iowa in thirty-four counties; Nebraska in seven counties; Kansas in two counties; Indiana in eight counties; Missouri in six counties; Michigan, Ohio, Dakota, Wisconsin report no disease at all.

Our June report from over one thousand correspondents is summarized in these few lines:

There is more or less of loss reported in young pigs dying, partly from exposure in the counties of Cherokee, Chickasaw, Cerro Gordo, Crawford, Delaware, Franklin, Grundy, Guthrie, Lucas, Palo Alto, Poweshiek, Sac and Story. Only two counties, Clay and Sac, report the presence of hog cholera.

The report shows decidedly, that although we will have an immense corn crop, still there will be a shortage on old hogs, which are always shipped during what is known as "packing season." These reports also denote that the bulk of the supply of "packing" hogs will be shipped to market later than usual, at least a month or six weeks. The cause of this scarcity of "packing" hogs is due to two features: That farmers all through the west lost a large percentage of their spring pigs through cold, wet weather, sickness, etc., and that those which were saved, together with the older hogs, mostly sows, have been forced to market on account of the high prices of corn at home and the high prices which have been paid for hogs during the last three months. The late pigs, which are born during June and July, will not begin to come forward until after the first of January, and the bulk of them will not reach the market until late in the spring and summer, but when they do come they will be well fattened on our big crop of corn.

Again the Agricultural Department said of Iowa for January and February:

The loss of hogs by the so called cholera is enormous. An estimated loss of 10,000 head comes from one, Buchannan county, alone. Other localities report losses to the extent of 75 per cent. of some entire herds. Grading up and breeding for pure bloods has been practiced much longer than in any other stock, and scarcely a farmer of any pretensions but has his pen of pure bloods. So far as appearances go, they have attained nearly to perfection, but this attainment is gained at the expense of strength and hardiness, and it is costing much more than it is worth. Delicacy of form and susceptibility to disease seem to go hand in hand.

Next to the ravages of disease, exposure and want of proper care and suitable feed are the principal causes of loss. Indeed, much of the disease reported may be readily traced to the same cause. The scantiness of the food supply which is reported from some localities is, however, due to the exceptionally severe droughts of last year, and, considering their extent and severity, there is less complaint on this score than might have been apprehended.

Arkansas and Tennessee have the largest proportion of loss, while Maine and Rhode Island have the least.

Iowa stands very closely beside Illinois, Alabama, Kentucky' and Nebraska.

At the National Swine Breeders' Association it was resolved that the Commissioner of Agriculture use the $30,000 appropriated by Congress to investigate the swine plague, by immediate employment of independent and competent investigators, members of the medical profession of this country.

Dr. Billings, of Nebraska, who introduced the resolution and secured its adoption, has left a few practical rules as to treatment and prevention of hog cholera, which are reproduced here.

Don't leave a well hog in a place where a sick one is or has been, a moment-longer than can be helped.

2. Don't fail to examine such separated well hogs twice. a day, and to remove any that may become ill from the others.

3. Don't allow the same person to take care of the affected and well hogs.

4. Don't allow any intercourse of men, dogs or hens between the pens of either lot of hogs.

5. Don't put a new lot of healthy hogs in a pen or upon land where swine plague has been for less than three years, unless the same has been thoroughly cleansed of all refuse, plowed and dug up several times, and exposed to the air for an entire summer season.

6. Don't forget that closed pens, sheds, straw stack and accumulated litter are more dangerous than open country when swine plague has prevailed in such places.

7. Don't water hogs from running streams.

8. Don't place your hog pens or runs so that they can drain into running streams.

9. Don't forget that all such places should be well drained, and and kept as dry as possible.

10. Don't bury dead hogs when you can burn them up.

11. Don't buy or sell sick hogs. Don't visit your neighbors' hogs when sick, or allow him to visit yours if well.

13. Don't forget that watchfulness, carefulness and diligence will do more to prevent swine plague than all medicines.

14. Don't forget that without these things being adhered to, the most practical vaccine will ever prove next to useless.

15. Don't forget to keep these rules.

Iowa leads all other States in number of hogs, having in January, 1888, 4,148,811 against 4,461,087 in 1887, with a representative value of $27,969,624; Missouri comes next, with 3,798,799; Illinois third, with 3,102,945; followed by Ohio, Texas, Indiana, Kansas and Nebraska with over 2,000,000 each.