St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1914-02-28
BLIND STACCERS
WHlCHlS CAUSING
DEATH TO THOU
SANDS HORSES
Department Of Agriculture Answers
Request for Advice from Sixteen
Where Horses Arc Affected.

Washington, D. c. FEB. 26.-in
past years horses have died by the
thousands in Texas, Iowa, Kansas
and Nebraska from disease affect
ing the nervous system, populariy
known as blind staggels or forage
poisoning. The Department of Ayr
culture has received urgent requests
for help against this disease from 16
different states, and as a result It is
now publish .ng q bulletin containing
defin tie instructions for combating
this disease.
The states that appealed to the
Department of Agriculture for ASSIST
ance include the following: Colora-
do, Georg a, Kentucky, Lou -slana,
Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New
Jersey. North Carol ma, South Caro-
lima. South Kakota, Oregon, Virginia,
West Virginia. This shows the UNI
versatility of the disease. Kansas and
Nebraska bore the brunt of the af-
fiction dur ng the past year but other
states have also suffered seriously.
Kansas has had more than her share.
Severe outbreaks extended over al
most the entire state N 1891 and
since that date have occurred Win
equal severity on two OCCASIONS n
various portions of the State. s
The bulletin takes. not &c of the
fact that additional deaths have UNI
doubtedly been due to the use OF fake
cures" sold by inscriptions per
sons. 1t s reported that n Nebra.s
ka "black-leg vaccine" was used on
1T least 1900 unaffected horses, neavs
ly 1900 of which are said to have
died as a direct result.
Investigators have pract ,caHy cs-
tablished that this horse disease can
be controlled effectively only by a
total change of feed and forage. 1t
10 quite obvious that there is direct
connect on between the green forage,
exposed pasturage and newly-cut hay
OF fodder which the horses eat, and
this cerebro-spinal meningitis, as the
disease is known to scientists. In
fact, eating of such forage when con-
terminated is undoubtedly the most
important cause. Over 50 per cent
Of cases of tn sease in Kansas and
Nebraska during the outbreak Of
1912 were maintained under such
conditions.
Great care must be taken that hors-
es do not obtain the dangerous for-
age unknown to their owners. The
owner of one farm informed the De-
partment's investigator that his dead
horses had eaten nothing but old hay
and grain. j s.
but what about the closely crop
ped grass in tn pasture?" remarked
the investigator. noticing the ada
cent field. sss ~. t
"Oh," answered the, farmefs inno7
Gently, II always turn the work hors-
es into the pasture over mig
& Many horses have died from blind
staggers caused by eating moldy bar
ed hay. AS SOON ~ the hay was
eliminated the disease ceabed. Other
horses in the vic nifty not fed upoh
this hay failed to contract tn g d s.
case. Later some of the moldy bales
were opened and exposed to the sun
for three or four weeks. After tn S
the hay. was fed to horses without
producing the i'll effect. Forage
poisoning, therefore, seems not to be
On infection but rather what Is called
Mo luLOA C0I1OA LA0t - uuO
10 certain chemical pc sons or toxins
formed by the activity of internal
organisms. These po.sons may be
present when the forage is taken into
the body or may be formed n the
stomach. The nature of tn s poison
is st II unknown.
When the horse is taken with the
blind staggerS it usually exhibits a
atiisturbance of the appetite, depresr
sion and weakness, while there is
trouble in swallowing droop-ng OF
the head and sleep ness VIII th may
give way to excitement and attacks
OF dizziness. The vision s impaired
which results in the staggering ga
that gives the disease is popula
.name.~Certa muscles Of the mech
and tanks are cramped and there
is "a. grinding of the teeth. Some
times. the an NAL has pains as though
II were afflicted with cole. The an
NAL will walk strangely in an open
space and VIII try to push through
any obstacle encounters. In the
stable he will press his head against
the stall or. rest 1t on the manager
Sonnet mes he will crowd into cor
ner. The temperature at the beg n
ming of the disease ranges from los
to lot degrees F. but within "a hours
the temperature falls and eventually