Gunnison news-champion., 1915-06-18
IlMsM POISON
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b s Particularly Dsascso. = TAs
Scssoa. f1>sd 10 Cussi
Ass.as, ih.s Weed

The larkspssrs have been known 10 be
poisonous from the time Of the sncssn,
Greek and Latin writers to the present.
bot "a Is only IN our Rocky mountains
thai they have been important ss de-
ssroylne angel says Field and FssH.
Ne poisonous plants. with the exeeption
of the loco weeds. have caused such
heavy losses TO our stockmen and this
Is the time Of year when most of The
damage is done. Small quantities of
both the tall and the los larkspurs can
sometimes be eaten with impunsty, sad
IN fact an animal must eat above three
per cent Of IT'S weight before being
affected. In average cases stock eat
from eight TO nIRe per cent Of their
weight Horses are poisoned BY lark
spur If they eat considerable quantity
Of t. On the open range, however,
horses never eat enough Of the plant to
produce any III effect. so that they can
be grazed with safety upon ranges
which woald be fatal 90 cattle. Careful
and extended experiments upon the tall
ana low larkspurs about the Mount Car
bon experiment station IN Colorado
showed eonclasively that sheep can
Craze upn these plants without any
harm. Corral experiments showed thai
sheep can consume very large quaint
ties of larkspur not only without harm
bat with apparent benefit and there Is
no reason to believe that sheep are in
jured by feeding upon the delphinium,
as it is known scientifically. 1t is of
course best, if possible, to avoid lark
spur poisoning by handling stock in
such manner that they viii not get at
the plants in any quantity. No hesita-
tion need be felt in ranging horses and
sheep on areas infested with larks,,ur
Cattle can eat considerable quantities
without harm, but it is always danger
Gus TO permit them to Craze upon the
larkspur area. This has been recog-
nized by stockmen ON some of the
ranges, who by keeping their cattle
from the infested area until about the
first of July prevent losses. This can
be done either by riders, as in some
sections, or by the aid of drift fences.
In some cases where limited areas are
particularly infested with these plants,
it may be desirable to fence them in and
keep the cattle out. In some areas
where the plant grows in great abun-
dance in gulches frequented by cattle, it
is entirely practicable to dig out sufiici-
ent of the tall larkspur so that the ami
mails can Craze in those regions without
danger Where the tall larkspur grows
widely scattered over a range it is i'm
practicable to destroy it by digging. Ii
is well known to stockmen, however,
that some gulches are yeritable death
traps for their cattle, and in those
places it would be matter of economy
to go over the area and destroy most of
the plants of the tall larkspur before
the cattle are admitted. When cattle
are grazing freely upon a range con
tanning larkspurs and are not immedi-
ately under the supervision of riders,
deaths cannot be avoided. In cases
however, where the poisoning occurs,
as frequently happens, while animals
are being driven from one range to an
other and are under the control of
riders, it is sometimes possible to apply
remedies which will aid recovery.
Many of the cases in which poisoning is
not severe will recover if care is taken
to turn the animal after it falls, so that
the head will be higher than the body,
and to see that it is not further dis
turbed. Any attempt to get the animal
upon its feet or drive it rapidly is almost
certain to be followed by fatal conse-
quences.