The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-10
NEW mEx1oo's sLt EPY GRASS.
Horses, Cattle and Sheep Unable to
Keep Awake After Eating it.
New Mexico Letter in New York Sun.

Keep Awake Alter Eating it.
New Mexico Letter in New York Sun
Over in Lincoln county, in this terri
tory, there is a peculiar kind of grass
known as sleepy grass. It has the prop
erty of putting to sleep any animal that
eats of it. Sleepy grass grows among the
grass, and is eaten by all kinds of stock
readily. Its existence was unknown for
years after settlements had been made in
Lincoln county. Stockmen and others
noticed that animals would sometimes
stand motionless for an hour or two at a
time, but it never occurred to them that
the cause of this apparent resting was a
distinct grass. The discovery was finally
made by one of a party of travellers GO
ing from San Antonio, a small sta
tlon on the Santa Fe railroad
near Socorro, to the Pecos valley, in
Lincoln county. The trip is long one,
and portion of it is over some of the
toughest country in New Mexico Water
IS not plentiful along the route, and for
miles there is hardly grass enough to feed
a jack rabbit, while on other portions of
the route there is a rank growth of grass
1t was in one of these fertile places, a YER
liable oasis in the desert, that the discov-
cry OF sleepy grass was made. The party
halted Cbout noon for luncheon, and the
team was unhitched and picketed out to
Craze for an hour or so. The horses com
menced eating with WILL for they were
hungry, ana there is no more tempting
grass TO horses appetite than the black
gramma which is to be found in nearly
all parts of New Mexico They fed for a
few moments, and then suddenly stopped,
and, holding their heads about on
level with their shoulders. stood as mo-
tlonless as as if they were carved of stone.
This behavior was not in accordance with
the ideas of one of the party as to what
hungry horses ought to do. He went to
where the horses were standing and
found them fast asleep. On speaking to
them in loud tone both awoke and com
menced eating as if nothing had happened.
Ihey had eaten only few mouthfuls
when both were sound asleep as before.
BY this time the remainder of the party
mad become interested. The horses were
awakened several times, only to fall
asleep after each successive arousing.
None of the party had ever seen horses
act so, and all agreed that something
they had eaten had caused them to sleep.
Each OF the party began a search, and
the plant, which is known in Lincoln
county as sleepy grass, was discovered
Ihe story was related by the travellers to
an ofIiclal OF Lincoln county, and since
that time the effect of this grass on ami
Horses, after eating of it, in nearly all
cases sleep standing, while cows and
sheep almost invariably lie down 1t has
occasionally happened that travellers
nave stopped to allow their horses to
feed in places where the grass grew
pretty thick and the animals have had
tlme to eat a considerable quantity be-
lore It's effects manifested themselves
In such cases horses have gone to
Glpnn n 70 L 1.
being hitched up, and D. often requires a
sharp cut with the whip to rouse them.
They start off at a good pace which
gradually slackens until finally the heads
droop and they come to a stop, sound
asleep. loud word will sometimes suf-
nee to start them again, but oftener the
whip is needed. The effect of the grass
passes OFF in an hour or two, and no bad
results have ever been noticed on account
of it. If horse be allowed to sleep I'M
TIL the effects pass off he appears to o
very much refreshed, and will travel a
long distance without apparent fatigue.
Duh If urged to go during the period of
drows1ness which follows eating sleepy
grass he seems to be wearied even after
the inclination to sleep has passed away.
Cattle on the range frequently come
upon patches of this grass, where they
feed for perhaps half an hour and then
fall asleep for an hour or more, when
they wake up and 80 on feeding. The
programme is repeated perhaps a dozen
times, until thirst ObligeS them to 90 to
water. Sleepy grass is found in several
localities in Lincoln county, but has
never been reported in any other part of
New Mexico. Whether, like the poppy,
IL contains opium, or whether its sleep
producing property is due to some other
substance, has not been determined.