The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-10-27
SHEEP GREW FAT on y
Remarkable Results Follow Investiga.
tions Made on Ranch in
Sweet Grass County.

Bile for the mortality among the f1ocks !
of eastern Montana, Notwithstanding
popular belief to the contrary, that
is If account is to be taken OF the
results of the Investigations and ex-
periments made by a couple OF scien-
tific gentlemen connected with the
staff of the experiment station main
tained by the government in connec-
ton with the state agricultural col
lege at Bozeman. Doctors Chestnut
and Marchall are the men who have
made this discovery
AS published in The Gazette some
weeks ago, the two doctors went to
Big Timber, on the invitation OF
Briggs & Ellis, large hockmasters OF
Sweet Grass county, who offered to
place both the material and necessary
room at their disposal to conduct such
experiments at they might see fit
with view to ascertaining the actual
effects of loco weed upon sheep. AT
ter making a number of initial ex-
periments on the ranch the doctors
transferred their field of operations
to the vicinity of Springdale. SH-
eral sheep which they were told 1Ghi.
tested symptoms of loco poisoning in
an advanced stage were given to them.
These they killed and dissected. The
results were as astonishing as they
were unlocked for.
A number of different varieties OF
worms were discovered in the car
casses, some in the bowels and others
in the stomachs, again others in the
lung cavities. Those found in the
bowels were tape worms while those
in the stomach were of the kind COM
mon to that organ. In addition to the
three places mentioned other worms
were found in the nostrils and nasal
passages. The worms in the intes-
tines were of corkscrew-like formation
Not in all the carcasses dissected
were the nasal worms found, being dis
covered only in animals which had
coughed and given. other manifesto
tions of catarrhal affection.
BY sheepmen it has always been
noticed that animals supposed to be
suffering from the effects OF loco poi
soning give signs of nasal affection.
This has been accepted as tolerably
positive proof of the presence OF the
poison in the animals and. one OF
the symptoms relied upon Tor cor
rect diagnosis.
What Loco Really Did.
Having concluded their examination
of animals supposedly poisoned by
the weed, the doctors next gave their
attention to a series OF experiments
intended to affort positive proof OF
the effects of loco when eaten in large
quantities. For this purpose they Sc
lected a number OF sheep in perfect
health and fed them literally on the
| weed. This was continued for several
days, with results entirely different
than those looked for. Instead OF
showing signs of poisoning and sick
ness of any sort, the sheep gave un-
mistakable evidence of having gained
in flesh, without any indications OF
evil effects from the supposedly dan
gerous diet.
Not Vet Convinced.
While the experimenters are salts
fed that they have solved the cause
of the trouble, some OF the tiockmas-
ters still adhere to their belief that
| loco is responsible for the losses oc-
casionally sustained among the flocks
and declare the weed to be poisonous.
They prefer to accept what they re-
gard as the evidence of years and
their experience with both sheep and
cattle has taught them. In spite of
what the doctors may say they insist
that it is the part of wisdom to keep
their animals away from the weed as
much as possible. They reason that
effect is produced by the cause, hold
| ing loco responsible for the latter,
claiming that when the system be
comes inoculated with the poison it
becomes the breeding place for the