Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1889-05-31
ABOUT RATTLE-WEED.
Tho True Properties of tho Plant Describe
by n Man of Experience.

Tho True Properties of tho Plant Described
by Man of Experience.
havo boon reading, with some dc
greo of interest, tho several articles
which have appeared of late in regard
to rattle-weod, and in some OF them tho
writer's soem 10 be very skeptical as
regards its true properties, and al
though IL may be hopeless task TO un-
dertake to convince thom to the con-
trary, for ono can say without hosita-
tion that l am positively certain as 10
It's effects on stock. / have had moro
or less experience with it for the last
twenty-oight years, with sheep, catt G
and horses, some OF which gave eight
or ten years since, / still have plenty
OF IL, but have learned by experience
how to manage It, and while we are at
II will give you my rules for pastur-
ing where IL abounds.
First-Do not turn stock in when
the feed is poor.
Second-Do not leave them in after
tho feed begins to dry up in the spring.
Third-Watch them closely during
tho timo when they are in, and when
you SEQ an animal leaving tho band and
feeding around alone, tnko him out
right away and you may save him II he
is not too far gone, as when they begin
to eat it they will cat nothing else and
will leave the othor stock to hunt for
the weed At first they fatten up, but
n reaction soon sets in, and then they
soon show tho effects OF the weed.
have n theory in regard to the way
that stock get TO eating it first, and
that is this The stock, in feeding
among it while the feed is good, will
eat tho grass all around it, and
when the feed begins to get n llitte
scarce or dry they will nibblo the grass
that has been left untouched in among
the rattle-woed, and in so doing will
get stalk of rattlc-wecd now and then,
and as it remains green nearly all the
year they soon get to eating it and will
eat nothing else. | have not had an
animal hurt for several years, but it is
because, as have said before, | have
found out how to manage 1t.
l would also like to state that the
water in my pasture is pure spring wa
ter and plenty of 1t, as | see some think
water the cause. Others say they are
overworked, starved, beat around and
in fact never had any sense in the first
place and were natural fools out and
out Now this in my opinion is all
mistake. OF course, there may be diff.
ferences in horses and they may not all
act just tho same, but this much | will
say, that If you want to make u horse.
COW or sheep crazy give them plenty of
rattle-weed.
l will now give you one case that
came under my notice. l turned my
colts into n pasture adjoining mine in
which there was one patch OF rattle
weed. Tho feed was not very good
generally, but along tho gulchcs and
in places where il was sheltered it was
fair. did not dream that they would
trouble the weed, and as / was busy
did not pay much attention to them.
Now, there was among the colts an old
American mare that had crossed the
plains. She was family nag; any one
could drive her and she would work
any time and anywhere, and thought
she had plenty of good horse sense.
Well, / went over one day, and there
was the old mare and two-year-old
colt up on that hill busy at work eating
the rattle-weed They had even paved
up the ground and were trying to eat
up the roots, and they were good and
crazy, and no mistake. The other colts
were all right. | then took the colt
and old mare out and put the colt up
and fed him awhile, and then / sent him
away to pasture where there was no
weed, and III the fall he seemed to have
recovered from the effects. / then
brought him home and turned him out
among the other horses in the stubble
In this stubblc-feld there was HILL
and on it some rattle-weod. / did not
think he would leave good feed and the
rest OF the stock, so paid no attention
to him. then went away to work and
did not come home for two weeks, and
found my colt up on the hill busy at the
rattlewced and as crazy rs bedbug.
He was n total wreck, he could not walk
straight nor go down hill without turn
ing round and round or course / saw
he was done for, and let him die, which
he did in short time. | have other
cases equally convincing, but think ]
will not burden you with too much at
once. Cor. Rural Press.