The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1903-02-21
FARMER AND PLANTER.
ABOUT FEEDING SORGHUM.
Sorghum at Times That IL Not
Present at Otherss

Some very careful investigations
have been made of this very old ques-
tion by the Nebraska experiment sta
ton, and definite results are claimed.
The toxic principle is said to be prus-
sic acid. The following statement
made by Mr.. f. A. Burnett, of that
station, is condensed from Breeder
Gazette, and will interest some of our
veaders:
DIR. A. T. Peters, animal patholo-
gist. has for number of years made
careful and accurate field observa-
tons. In numerous cases he has
turned stock into fatal fields and
watched the results. Not less than
three years ago he arrived at the fol-
lowing conclusions:
81. There is no foundation for the
theory that the animals choke to
death.
''2. There is no foundation for the
theory that the animals die from indi.
gestion.
''3. Animals die from the effect oil
4 poison which has been elaborated
in sorghum of stunted growth, not
from weeds or other plants.
"a. The symptoms are those OF
prussic acid poisoning.
"The first chemical investigation
was conducted by Mr.. r. S. Hiltner,
of the university chemical depart
ment. His work consisted in showing
that the amount of nitrates in fatal
sorghum is inadequate to the effect
produced. On May Is of the present
year, a paper by Dustan and Henry
was read before the Royal society Of
England. The authors show that
Egyptian sorghum vulgare contains
a glucose ''dhurrin" and hydrolic
enzym capable of breaking this glu-
cose into prussic acid and two other
substances. This paper, which fully
confirms Mr.. Shades prediction, was
not in the hands of the Nebraska sta
ton worker till October 10. In the
meantime Mr.. Slade had himself con-
firmed his prediction in regard to the
poisonous principle in Nebraska sor-
ghum.
"On July "a two cattle died at Cam
bridge, Neb., as the result of eating
sorghum. Four days later Mr.. Slade
discovered that prussic acid could be
separated by distillation from the ia
tai cane. He next determined that the
prussic acid was present in the form
of glucoside. A large amount of
analytical work has been done to de-
termine under what conditions cane
becomes dangerous. While the work
on Kaffir corn was in progress the
veterinarian of the Colorado agricul-
tural college wrote to the director of
the Nebraska station asking if this
station could throw any light on a
very virulent outbreak of poisoning
by Kaffir corn in Colorado. As the re-
suit of the correspondence DIR. Avery
visited Fort Collins October s. By
the courtesy of the chemist of the
Colorado station an examination of
Kaffir corn, secured shortly after the
poisoning occurred, was made in the
Colorado laboratory. The poisonous
principle in Colorado Kaffir corn was
found to be identical with that of Ne
braska common sorghum, though in
much larger quantity.
in addition to the foregoing, the
forthcoming bulletin viii give evil
dence on which the following conclu-
sions are based:
young plants contain more COM
bined prussic acid than more mature
plants.
Second growth is not more danger
Gus than first growth.
Frost does notincrease the amount
Of poison.
Drought, by resisting develop
ment, tends to cause the plants TO be-
come highly dangerous.
"The danger increases as one goes
westward from the Missouri river and
this fact can not be explained by lack
of rainfall alone.
Reasons are given for believing
that properly cured sorghum is harm
leSs "