The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1939-03-10
Seleniun Fatal
To Live Stock
Thousands of Cattle and
Sheep Die Annually !
From Poisoning. ]

From Poisoning. :;
NEW YORK.-Thousands Of cat
tie and sheep valued at approH-
mately 5000, 900 are destroyed an
nually through grazing on plants
that absorb selenium, poison0ss
element resembling sulphur, from
the soil of certain regions Of the
Great Plains, according to DR.. Sam !
F. Trelease, Torrey professor Of bot
any In Columbia university.
'The problem assumes special
importance through the possibility
Of human injury from the conSunp-
ton of seleniferous grains, vegeta-
bles, and animal products from the
affected regions" Professor Ire
lease pointed out.
''This aspect of the problem has
received relatively little attention.
1t is safe to say that no doctor would
be able to diagnose a case of sc
lenium poisoning if he encountered
one.
"All the wheat raised on certain
tracts of farming land in the Great I
Plains contains selenium-often In !
amounts that are poisonous to live
stock. Dangerous concentrations Of !
the poison occur in some foods from /
naturally seleniferous areas, and ex-
erection of selenium in the urine has
been found in 80 per cent of the
inhabitants of some regions.
Strips Hair on Pigs.
''Selenium poisoning of horses and
cows is characterized by hoof de-
formity, loss of hair and retarded
growth. The toxic grain will take
all the hair off pig in two weeks.
Many of the diseased animals die or
have to be destroyed. Very few
farmers In the seleniferous areas at
tempt to raise chickens because
most of the eggs do not hatch and
the few chicks that are obtained are
weak and deformed.
"Seleniferous soils are derived
from Cretaceous shales that were
deposited in a shallow sea during
the age of the dinosaurs. Nature
has protected some areas by apply
ing non-toxic surface soils through
the agency of glaciers and dust
storms ,
"Selenium - obtained as a by-I
product of smelters-belongs to the
sulphur family. 1t has some COM
mercial uses in making photo-elec-I
trio cells, coloring pottery, de-
colorizing glass, and in vulcanizingI
rubber.
'Seleniferous soils and vegetationI
have been discovered throughout the
entire western half of the UnitedI
States in unevenly distributed de-
posits. The selenium area goes upI
into Canada and down into Mexico,
and seleniferous wheat has been OBJ
tanned from South America, Europe,
Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
The problem is serious only in rel
stricted regions. Raising of liveI
stock is no longer attempted in the
worst regions, and tractor farmingI
of small grains is. the only kind of
agriculture carried on.
Laboratory tests have shown that
tricts are very toxic to white rats,
and similar effects are seen whenI
salts of selenium are added arti-|
ficially to soils in which wheat and
buckwheat are raised.
Dangerous Plants.
Cali plants exhibit a RELATIVELY
high degree of tolerance to seleni-I
UNI. Wheat in the field never
shows any signs of selenium injuryl
and some of the native weeds storei
enormous concentrations of seleni-I
UNI without visible injury.
1.-THE most abundant and danger-I
Gus of the seleniferous plants is thet
two-grooved milk vetch belonging to
the pea family and which, with its
handsome purple blossoms, is the
most attractive wild flower on the
Great Plains. It often forms solid
stands, covering several square
miles. This plant destroys thousands
of cattle and sheep every year. One
record shows that $50 sheep died
within "a hours after being pastured
in a field Of these plants. On q sin
gle ranch the losses have amounted
to 5000 sheep during a period Of 10l
years.
'Seleniferous vetches of SEVERAL
different species are widely distrib-
uted throughout the Great Plainsl
area. Other potent selenium accu-
mulators are the woody aster, which
resembles the ordinary ox-eye dali
~; Stanleya, or princess plume; and
oonopsis. All are toxic to animals.
Laboratory experiments at Co.
lumbia university have shown that
selenium greatly stimulates the
growth Of the native indicator
plants. These results suggest that
selenium may even be essential fcri
their normal development. |
Remedial measures, according to
Professor Trelease, include map
ping the seleniferous regions; with
drawing the most toxic areas from
cultivation; finding, il possible, suit
able crops anc live stock; prevent
ing over-grazinc by live stock. since
range animals, if given q choice,
tend to sSoid the most poisonousl