Fergus County argus., 1888-10-04

Correspondent in Boulder Age.

Nv attention has lately been called
to he complaint OF several parties in
this and other sections Of Jefferson
rounty. of n supposed disease, now
exist ing among the range stock, more
particularly among the horses, and
that very considerable losses are re-
ported. 1 made inquiry as to the
symptoms Of said disease, OF neigh
bOr, who. during the past month or
40, has had several losses, and after
giving me the same as near as he
could. it agreed so nearly with the
effects produced on horses from eating
the loco weed, that give in full what
u California correspondent OF the L..
Agricultural Department says about
it Com. Annual Rept. 1856, and
those of our stOckmen who read, may
determine whether it is IA disease, or
..loco" that is killing their horses.
lie says: at prevails quite exten-
sively over an area Of 1JO square
miles in this valley (Bakersiield, Cali
and, ! am informed, is found in other
valleys Of the State. and also IN
Arizona. This year the army-worm
and n minute insect, which destroys
the seeds, have killed n great deal OF
it. but. il not mOlested, it will soon
flourish to as great an extent rs ever.
| think that very few, il any, animals
eat the loco at first from choice; but,
as it resists the drOuth until other
food is scarce, they are not at first
starved to it. and. after eating it n
short time appear to prefer II to any
thing else. Cows are poisoned by 1t
as we'll as horses, hut it takes more OF
il TO affect them. 1t is also said to
poison sheep. As ] have seen its
act ion on the horse. the first symp-
toms OF the poisoning is hallucina-
ton. When led or ridden up to some
little obstruction such as n rail, or
bar, lying in the road, he stops short,
and, il urged, leaps as though It was
four feet high. Next he is seized with
fits Of mania, in which he ~ quite
uncomfortable, and sometimes dan
gerOus; he rears, sometimes even fall
ing backward, runs or gives several
leaps forward, and generally falls. His
eyes are rolled upwards until only the
white can be seen, which Is strongly
injected, and, rs he sees nothing, he IL
apt to leap against wall or man as
in any other direction. Anything that
excites him appears to induce the fits,
which think are more apt to occur
when crossing water than elsewhere,
and the animal sometimes falls so
exhausted as to drown in water not
over two feet deep. He loses flesh
from the first and sometimes presents
the appearance OF "a walking skelet on.
| In the next and last stage he only
goes from the loco to the water ard
back: his gait is feeble and uncertaln;
his eyes are sunken, and have n Hat I,
CLASSY look. and his coat is rough and
Iusterless. Ia general, the animal ap-
pears to perish from starvation and
constant excitement Oi the nervous
system, but sonnet lines appears to
suffer acute pam. causing INN 10
expend his strength in running wildly
from place to place, paving and rolling
until he dies in II few minutes.
| Loco i. somewhat similar to lucern
in appearance. and produces blad-
derry pods. in which the seeds rattle
Wihn f1t~. ntihf iif ii'hic '",''e
weed" or loco. 10 what extent this
plan, may exist in this county the
writer has no knowledge. No doubt
our farmers know sonnet hing OF Its
character and in what localities it is
found and il the sympt Oms OF loco
poisoning as given in the above as
quoted, corresponds with that OF the
new disease, farmers and stockmen
will know better how to control it, il
such "a thing can be done. Herding, Or
changing OF range probably, would
accomplish n cure or n remedy against
I 1f1TTfcT tOSS1S