Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1889-08-03
POISONOUS PLANTS.
IMPORTANT TO CATTLE, SHEEP AND
HORSE OWNERS.
Professor Anderson Invites Them to Com
municnte With Him Relative to
Cases of POisoning-Heart
Cooperation Desired.

When horses cattle or sheep here die
from unknown causes, which have pro-
duced more or less marked cerebral dis
turbance within few days or hours be-
fore dissolution, accompanied by one Or
more minor symptoms, they are said to
have been "locoed," that is, poisoned by
some usually mysterious unknown plant,
The general symptoms are here given in
the order they usually appear:
The animal wanders alone, has un-
naturally bright eyes and slight frothing
at the mouth, or even extreme salvation
occurs and the creature goes about with
stream Of clear saliva trickling from its
chin to the ground, or else the lips are
dry, little swollen and the whole mouth
very hot. The appetite becomes notice
J ably impaired; larg quantities of offensive
gas are belched forth, frequently accom-
panied by greenish froth mixed with
finely chewed food. The brain now be-
comes plainly affected control Of limbs
partially or wholly lost-sometimes mus
cles Of one side of the neck are CON
tracted in pltiable manner. In few
days, hours or minutes, as the case may
| be, after proper limb control is lost, the
staggering animal refuses to eat Or drink
at all, becomes stupid, reels and falls,
|
eyes become dull and staring, perfect
torpor comes on. Limbs and neck NAV
| become quite rigid and extended, or else
in natural position and easily moved by
| the hand. Abdomen usually swells to
enormous size. Victim may lie in this
condition week or death may ensue in a
few hours; there is rarely any struggle at
that time.
Post mortem examination reveals
several interesting features. The in
testines with their surrounding fat are
already green, although the creature
may have only just died. The arteries
and smaller vessels in the limbs are
gorged with thick, black blood The
lining of the first stomach is worn and
liberated in patches and in some cases
seems to have commenced decomposition:
Is very soft and can be peeled off the
muscular layer with thumb and fore
finger in big pieces. Lungs and heart
almost bloodless, but the hraln, particu.
larly the cerebellum, is purplish, soft and
pulpy.
The symptoms, etc, vary considerably,
and it seems unlikely that one poison
causes them all.
sloco" stock, VIA OXytorpis LAMBERT,
pudica and Zygadenus elegans. The |
tlrst is now known to produce no evil
effects except when eaten in large guam
titles for days together. Proper expert
ments have not been conducted with the |
othes yet. Leucocrinum montanum Is
said to be very fatal to sheep after the |
fruit has developed. 1t grows close in |
the grass, and its narrow grass-like
leaves are not easily avoided by stock
This plant occurs in various parts of the |
territory, is very common in Lewis and
Clarke county, near Helena, and in the
Sand Coulee region Of Cascade county
Fritillaria padica is almost the first plant
flower in spring. Before the grass is
green horses and sheep often nip off the
leaves. The scalY bulb is somewhat
acrid to the taste. Zygadenus elegans
does not flower so early but sends up its
long grass" leaves at the same time.
Sheep eat much of this plant, even nip
ping off the pancles when they appear,
The whole plant is acrid, but the deep-set
bulb is strongly so.
So many sheep, cattle and horses die
yearly in all the western territories,
presumably through eating poisonous
plants, that western botanists should do
all in their power to investigate the
matter. Not long ago 1t was reported
that new disease had broken out among
horses ranging on the northern foothills
Of the Great Belt Mountains The dis
ease first affects digestion only, and VIC
TINS rapidly lose flesh and get very weak.
Soon the renal regions are involved, and
although sufferers seldom die they as
seldom appear to fully recover; the back
remains so weak that no load can be
borne or drawn. One man has thirty
fine-looking horses affected in this way.
As usual, the cause IS attibuted to "some
weed they get" r. W. ANDERSON.
The above note on "Poisonous Plants,
and the Symptoms they Produce is an
extract from the Botanical Gazette for
July, this year, written by f. w. Ander-
son our special agent for Montana of the
U. $. Department Of Agriculture. Pro-
fessor Anderson particularly wishes us to
beg the stock growers of Montana to
examine the contents of the mouth and
stomach Of every horse, COW, OF sheep
they have reason to suspect as having
died from the effects of eating poisonous
weeds, and that the remains of such
weeds if not too finely chewed, be pressed
flat between newspapers under a board
and dried, care being taken not to let
them get mouldy, and then sent by mail
to him with a full statement of the case,
the name and address of the sender being
plainly written and enlosed with the
material for examination. He also wants
whole plants of weeds, pressed flat as
before, from all parts of the territory,
which are considered poisonous or
suspicious. The common names the
weeds are known by, the kind of soil they
grow in, when they flower and go to seed,
and other notes Of interest would add
greatly to the value of the specimens.
The professor proposes to have chemi-
cally analysed all such material sent in,
| and will send the results of the analyses,
together with the name of any antidote
that may be known, to the senders of the
specimens. He offers to do this for the
benefit of Montana stock-growers of all
classes and will receive no remuneration
| whatever for his services.
Stockmen and farmers, can you afford |
to lose such grand chance of benefiting |
| Yourselves and the state at large? What
is asked will only cost you little work
fnrn