The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-12
Clenning Wcedr Pnrtures.

1t is surprising how dirty many
American pastures are permitted to
remain. says the Farmers Review. 1t
is not unusual to see pastures quite
largely occupied with all kinds of
weeds to the exclusion of grass. which
is the only thing in the pasture ser
| Viceable. A pasture blooming with
I golden rod is beautiful, but it is hardly
in keeping with the rules that should
I govern the intelligent farmer. But.
1 besides such things as golden rod, var
! iOus kinds of spreas, burdocks and
mulleins, there are some weeds that
7 are eaten by the COWS to the detriment
of the milk and butter produced. 1t
would be altogether better to eradicate
all the weeds from the pastures, which
can be quite easily done by keeping
them moved. 1t is surprising how soon
the grass will take possession II the
. tall growing weeds are kept cut.
Wild onions especially should not be
| allowed to grow, as the cows frequent
ly eat them. They contain a volatile
! oil that passes through the COW and
| into her milk. 1t is a question If the
| undesirable qualities Of most kinds OF
food will pass through a COW into her
udder. but there is not such question
regarding the volatile oil of onions. A
single patch of these in a pasture may
| njure not only the milk from the herd
that pastures there, but also the milk
of any creamery to which the milk
from that particular herd happens to be
taken. In addition there are quite a
number of plants that are poisonous to
cattle. Among them we note water
hemlock, known also as henbane, and
called scientifically Cicuta. 1t is the
plant that has caused the death of a
good many children by being eaten for
wild parsnip.
Other plants to be avoided are COW
cookie, swamp Camas. snowy milk
weed, swamp hellebore, aconite, tall
cone flower, black nightshade, prairie
fennels. false lupines, field horse tail.
! sneezewood eagle fern, dogbane, snow
berry. Some of these are known to be
very poisonous and others are strongly
| suspected of being so. The dairymen
| will not perhaps be able to recognize
all of these, but if he destorys all
weeds in his pasture he will surely hit
these if they are growing there.
There is a sort of superstition that
an animal will not eat weeds that are
poisonous to them. But this is a myth
Thousands of animals-horses, sows
and sheep-are poisoned by wild plants
every year. This is little noticed in
the East where a COW gets sick md
dies now and then, but on the plains
where cattle are herded by thousands
the sudden appearance of fatal NAL
ady results in investigation as to food,
and often poisonous plants have been
found the sole and only cause. Among
cur COWS on dairy farms there is little
reason to doubt that a good many of
the mysterious deaths are due to pois-
! onous plants eaten in the pasture.
Some time ago the United States
| government issued a bulletin describ-
! ing and Illustrating thirty of these
poisonous plants that are likely to be
met with in the pastures. 1t can
| doubtless be had on request. The
! Farmres' Review has also in the past
| described and illustrated most of these
| poisonous weeds. and those that have
! kept files of the paper have them to
| turn to. 1t would he we'll for the dairy
| man to know by sight every plant that
| is likely to poison his stock. But 1t is
better to be on the safe side and keep
/ all the weeds out of the pasture