Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-03-06
BLIND STAGGERS
CAUSING LOSSES
THOUSANDS OF HORSES HAVE
DIED ~ PAST YEARS IN TEXAS.
IOWA. KANSAS AND NEBRASKA
FROM THIS DISEASE.
MANY STATES Affected
FoIHTEEN STATES HAVE APPEAL
III To DEPARTMENT OF AGl;I
90 LTlEE FOR ASSISTANCE IN
CpNBNTTI\G DISEASE.
Especial ~ The HcraIdl

'E'A ~
Washington. -. I'll. March u IN past
wears horses have died n, the thpu~lnd-
~ Texas. Iowa. Kansas and Nrhra>kl
from Y disease affecting the nervous >,,
tenn. popullrly known ~ bling >taggcr~
~ forage poisoning. The Department WI
Agriculture has received urgent requests
for help against This disease from lG
different state. and ~ 4 result IL ~ noW
m%uhli>hiug Y bulletin containing defin
itr instructions for combating This dis
ease.
The states that appeal to the Depart
nrul of Agriculture for assistance in
-ludc Colorado. Georgia. Kcuiucky. Loui
~iaua. Maryland Missouri. Nebraska.
New Jersey. North Carolina. OR gen
south Carolina. South Dakota. Virginia
and West Virginia.
This shows the universally II The di>
ease. Kansas aud Nebraska bore The
bruut ~ afiliction during the past year
but other states have alo~ suffered >cri
ou>ly. Kansas has hal more than her
share Severe outbreaks extended over
almost the entire state ia 1871 and since
that date have REQUIRED with equal sr
verify NV two occasions III various per-
lions ~ the state.
The bulletin takes notice of the feet
that additional deaths have undnuhtcil,
been due for The use uf "fakc'currS sold
hV ~uu>crupulpu> prr>uu>. N " reported
hat III Nebraska "hiIcklrg vlcriHc" WAS
used nn at rll~t lGnn unaffected hnr~g~
nearly llnn of which are said tn have
died 80 q direct result.
Investigators have nrgcticallv r~talt
li>hcd th1t this horse disease rlu hr cnu
trullrd effectively only hN n total change
at feel aud forage. N H. quite obvious
that there IL 70 direct connection between
the green forage. cNno>erl pa~tnraac aud
newly cut h1v ~ fodder whirh The horses
eat. and his crrrhro ,piual meningitis W.
The disease Y known tu scientists IN fact.
eating of such forage when contaminated
IL uudouhfrllt The most impnrt1nt cause.
Otcr - Der cent of eases of iris disease
Ia Kansl> aud Nebraska during The ont
brock ~ 1919 were maintained under such
conditions.
Great care must hr taken that horses
10 mot obtain the dluorrnu storage mn
known to their owners. The ovncr nf ""c
farm iriorrrrl ihc Departments iuvc>ti
GlIhf iill Ms btti htf~t~ htU ttttN Nn
y thing hut nld hly AMI grain.
But what about the CLOSELY cropped
grass in this ~nl>turrr' remarked the i'm.
vc>ii"ltnr noticing thr adiaccnt field.
oh" answered the farmc iunnccntlv
" ALWAYS turr The work horses into pas
turr over night"
Mluv horses have died from blind >t1g
gers caused n, eating mnldv hllcl ray.
n soon a. fhc h1Y Was eliminated tire
disease ceased Other ror>r> ip The yic
irit, mot fvl uppn iris hlv failed ~ con
trace iris disease Letter some VII thu mol
dy hr 49, were Opened and cNpn.cl a. TIRE
sum fnr three ur fnur weeks After tri>
The hav Wa~ fci ta the horses without
urnlr'iu" amy ill effect Forage poison
INC therefore. >etu> not tu ~ lU Iutcr.
iiuu hut 4u auto iutuVir'tiun that Nv IN
i~ due tn certain chemical nui~'u~ ~ tnN
onS formed IN, the l|ctiyitv If internal
~nr"nni>m~ Thr>c nni>nn> MAY hc present
Nhcn ihc 'orae" ~ token into he holy ~
wav wv formed iu the stomach The ma
turr 7 this poisson ~ still unknown.