Bisbee daily review., 1908-02-28
LOCO WEED COSTS !.
A MILLION A YEAR
Official investigation Finds the
Truths and Remedy For
Stock That Suffers.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.-The ma.,s
years stockmen of the plains east oil
the Rocky mountains have reported
great losses due to somewhat un-
defined cause known as loco" 1t ha
been estimated that the losses from
this source in New Mexico, Arizona
and Colorado alone have reached the
sum OF more than million dollars
per annum. A thorough investigation
of the loco problem by the bureau of
Plant industry, both in its field and
laboratory aspects, was undertaken
t.y the office of poisonousplant inyes-
legations. under the direction of DR..
Rodney Fl. True, psychologist in
charge, the field work being in the
hands of DIR. C. Dwight Marsh, expert.
and the laboratory work in those of
DR.. Albert c. Crowfords pharmacolo-
gist.
The Importance of the results OBJ
tanned, together with the fact that the
publication of the rather extensive evil
denee accumulated is likely to be
somewhat delayed, has made it seem
desirable to present at once brief
summary of the results obtained, &C
cording to B. T. Galloway, chief of the
bureau. A bulletin has been issued as
follows:
Field Work.
The word 4'lcco" from the Spanish
meaning crazy, has been applied for a
great many years to a disease of stock
and sheep in the semi-arid region of
the west. There has been a general
belief among stockmen that the dis
ease is caused by certain weeds
known as loco weeds. The name loco
weed has been applied to large NUM-
Der of plants, but two are considered
especially obnoxiouN-Aragallus lam.
berti and Astragalus mollossimus.
More or less desultory investigation
by scientific men have been made Oh
this subject, the general result OF
which has been to imply that the dis
ease was produced by some other
cause than the loco plants. Later In.
vestigations have made it seem quite
probable that the cause of the dis
ease must be sought in some other di
rection. The investigations here re
corded were undertaken TO clear UP
source of trouble.
The first essential point was to dem
onstrate whether the loco weed did oil
did not cause the disease. The work
OF the first season, the summer OF
1905, accomplished this demonstration
in very satisfactory way. 1t was
clearly proved that Aragallus lambert
would poison horses, sheep and cattle
and that Astragalus mollissimus poi
sons horses. Astragalus mollisimus
does not poison cattle because they
very rarely eat 1t.
The work of the second season, the
summer of 1906 was manly devoted
tc a diagnosis of the disease. The ex.
terlal symptoms are the lowered head
rough coat, slow, staggering gait
movements, showing lack of muscular
coordination, some times more or less
paraiytic symptoms, a generally dis'
eased nervous system, and in the la
ter stages Of the disease extreme ema-
ciatio;. n
Causes Ulcers.
The principal pathological changes
are pronounced anemia' of the whole
system, diseased stomach walls, and
in acute cases a congested condition
of the walls of the stomach, while
in chronic cases there are frequently
ulcers. Generally speaking. loco cat
tie have ulcers in the fourth stomach
There is an excess of fluids the
various cavities of the body. This is
especially noticeable in the epidural
space of the spinal canal. Here the
effusion is more or less organized,
presenting the appearance of gelatin
Gus mass, which Is especially abund.
ant the lumbar RECON and about the
exits of the spinal nerves. In most
locoed females the ovaries are founo
in diseased condition.
The third stage of the work was the
devising OF remedial measures. This
was undertaken in the summer oil
1907. This work naturally had two
phases, .(1) attempts to eradicate the
weed, and (2) attempts to cure the
locoed animals.
To Kill the Weeds.
In regard to the possibility of kill
ing the weeds, il was found that this
could readily be done in the case Of
fenced pastures. This is especially
feasible with AstragaIlus mollissimus
because 1t occurs In comparatively
small patches, Aragallus LAMBERT has
a, wider distribution, but it Is not al
all impossible to destroy this weed
when in pastures. There SCENES te
be no way OF Riding the ranges OF
these weeds, however.
To Cure Cattle.
In regard to the second phase oil
remedial work, it was found that 10
coed cattle can in most cases be cured
by a course OF treatment with strych'
nine. while locoed horses can general
" be cured by course of treatment
with Fowler's solution. The animals
under treatment must not be allowed
| TO eat the loco weed and should be
given not only nutritious food but, SO
far as possible, food with laxative
properties. To this end magnesium
sulphate was administered to correc'
the constipation which is almost uni
versal among locoed animals. II
should be noted. too that magnesium
suiphate may serve to some extent az
an antidote to the poison
1t may be added, in regard to tne
question Of immunity, that loco poi
soning comes on In slow and cunuia