The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-12-06

the ranchman Is the loco weed, common
In one or another OF It's forms throughout
the West, where IL does enormous damage
to stock. The chief damage is to hors3s
readily than cattle, and soon become
locoed. A horse IS said to be locoed when
he Acquires an unnatural appetite for the
deleterious weed. Once in this condition,
he will touch no other food and In y
short time becomes crazy, In which state
he sometimes runs wild, lashing out
with HIS hee's anu biting at any man or
animal that comes near him, and some
times staggsrs about with dropping head
and haif-clossd eyes until death super
vents The cause Of death IL thought to
be hamilton rather than actual poisoning
In loco cases. Is there is no nouItshment
in this weed, and animals addicted to
the habit pine away with sarprising
rapiiity. The loco habit In horses IL
comparable to the opium or hashsesh
habit in human beings, exoeps that the
animal, having no reasoning powers to
act as check upon his APOSTLES. sue
cumbs more quickly. The state OF Color
ado between 1851 and 1886 paid out in
bounties nearly 500. 900 in an effort to
sxtermiuate the woolly loco weed, which
10 the oommonest species In that region,
but the plant Is still abundant there.
Heavy losses are reported yearly from the
lam bert or stainless loco weed also. To
shrub, are almost as deadly as the loco Is
to horses, though there 10 some question
whether the plant contains actually polls
onous qualities or causes death from pure
~ mechanical effects BY ologging the in
testines and causing bloating. Reports
from three herds In 1898 show q mortality
Of about z, 900 from lupine eating.
In the eastern half Of the United
states, where 1t chiefly grows. the rattle
box or rattleweed ID an object OF concern
to farmers, lest IL become mixed with
hay In cutting, for In this way 1t Ia ire
quently fatal to horses ana somstimes TO
cattle. In It's gro wing state animals
will not touch 1t. This curious weed Is
also souros Of extreme terror to human
beings who encounter 10 after the plain
has begun to get dry and the oblong pods
which tt bears bsgiL to stinen, Tor IN
that condition the peas within the pods,
when the plant Is struck or brushed
against, rattle with an exact and blood
chilling imitation OF the warning OF the
rattlssnake, whence the plant takes lts
name, Crotalaria ga yittalis. from Crotalus
the scientific nan of the rastlssnake
family. At least one spciss OF the COM
mon buttsrcup 10 poisonous to cattle. the
celery ia avsd or cursed crowfoot and it 10
thought that all the kinds Of buttsrcups
which grow in swampy land are danger
Gus in general. However, cattle avoid
all the buttercupA on account OF the ex-
tremsly aortd taste. The common milk
weed or asclepias. though commonly
avoided by cattle, has been known to
cause death when mixed In hay. A few
cases of poisoning BY jimson weed In hay
are also cited. The properties OF the
common swamp hellsbore. known also as
Indian poke. are not yet fully understood.
Gases are known Of both men and horses
being poisoned By this plant. yet sheep
eat the young Leaves and Shoots greedtly
and without evil ffscts. On tbs other
hand, the seed ID death TO chickens.
Bsx wood, highly esteemed for hedges