56 Loco Weeds. [zoe 



by the loco weeds, and upon looking for some plant allied to Astra- 

 galus or Oxytropis, he found the Crotalaria in great abundance. 

 He had a large quantity of the green plant collected and tried to 

 feed it to a young horse. The animal refused it, and finally he in- 

 troduced a strong decoction into the stomach by means of a stom- 

 ach pump. The horse exhibited all the symptoms of the poisoned 

 animals, but recovered after a few hours. The next day he was 

 given half as much as on the first day, and the animal died in an 

 hour and a half He procured another horse and gave it daily the 

 infusion from a quart of the pods. The animal, after showing the 

 characteristic symptoms, died on the thirteenth day. 



Dr. F. B. Power and J. Cambier of the University of Wisconsin, 

 made various chemical tests upon the Crotalaria and concluded 

 that it contained a toxic alkaloid in small amounts. The Crotala- 

 ria caused great losses, amounting to thousands of dollars' worth of 

 stock on some farms. The disease was marked by the emaciation 

 so characteristic of the loco poisoning. Some animals became vio- 

 lently crazy, breaking through fences; but others exhibited stupor 

 or coma, falling asleep while eating, and sometimes standing for a 

 week sleeping most of the time with the head against some abject. 



Of course, the subject of loco is more generally discussed in those 

 states where stock-raising is one of the chief pursuits. Great losses 

 have occurred in Colorado, particularly in the southern part. Mr. 

 Ed. Farr, a prominent cattleman of Walsenburg, Huerfano county. 

 Col., claims that, on an average, three hundred head of cattle are 

 killed from loco in that county every year. Mr. E. C. Van Diest of 

 San Luis, Costillo county. Col., writes as follows: " Fully twenty- 

 five per cent, of the losses on cattle and horses in this section are 

 due to loco weed. Its poisonous qualities seem to have the great- 

 est effect from November to May. It is tempting to stock in the 

 winter, when the grass is more or less covered with snow and its 

 leaves surmount the snow; and also in the spring, when the grass is 

 beginning to sprout and it is already of considerable size and con- 

 spicuous from its fresh verdure. The poison of the weed aftlscts the 

 nervous system, first clouding the brain and then paralyzing to a 

 certain extent all muscular action until the animal finally dies in a 

 state of stupor and seemingly of starvation. It begins by walking in 

 a circle, which gradually narrows until the animal falls and expires. 

 Though no well-fed animal will touch it, one that has happened 



