POISONS AND THEIR ANTIDOTES. 5b7 



To protect against buffalo-gnats, etc., that are so troublesome in the 

 lower Mississippi regions, smear the parts they most affect with a mix- 

 ture of tar or lard, in the proportions of one to two, respectively; or 

 instead, with equal parts of petroleum, lard oil (or bacon drippings), 

 and tar. 



For the bite of a rattlesnake, copperhead, or other venomous serpent, 

 give the following as quickly as possible : 



No. 90. 1 Teaspoonful of hartshorn, 



1 Pint of whiskey, 

 y^ Pint warm water, 

 Mix. 



Cauterize the wound immediately, with an iron at white heat ; and keep 

 the adjoining parts constantly wet for some hours, with ammonia, by 

 means of a sponge. Unless the symptoms are urgent, the above recipe 

 may be made up with half a pint (instead of a pint) of whiskey ; but in 

 every case it will be best to repeat this smaller dose every hour, till relief 

 is obtained. 



Stings of centipedes, scorpions and venomous spiders, (of which the 

 tarantula is the most common), should be treated the same as snake bitei ; 

 but, in these cases, it is not so customary to cauteriae. 

 VI. The Loco-Weed Disease. 



It is indeed rare that the domestic animals are poisoned by anything 

 but poisonous plants. Occasionally, however, boiled Linseed Oil is given 

 by mistake, or horses eat Paris green, but aside from this practically all 

 stock poisoning is the result of eating one of the few poisonous plants 

 that are found in nearly every pasture. 



Loco Plants. — A large number of plants have been called by the name 

 "loco weeds," most of those which were suspected of being poisonous be-' 

 longing to the botanical family Leguminosae, to which belong also the 

 pea, alfalfa, and other similar plants. In western Texas, western Ne- 

 braska, western Kansas, and in portions of eastern Colorado the term "loco 

 weed" was applied specifically to the plant known to botanists as Astraga- 

 lus mollissimus. 



Loco or Crazy Weed: Is a ]jlant on the plains of the west, from 

 six to twelve inches high, covered with minute hairs which give it a sil- 

 very look. It remains green throughout the winter. 



The animal gets a mania for it, becomes unthrifty and dies of starva- 

 tion. 



Treatment : Keep animals away from it and feed nutritious food. Cat- 

 tle or sheep may be disposed of by fattening. 



Sorghum: The information concerning sorghum plant poisoning is 

 comparatively new, and there are many points concerning which more 

 information is needed. There seems to be plenty of evidence that stock, 

 particularly cattle, may be poisoned by eating sorghum plants, especially 

 plants that have been stunted by drouth or grown on very poor soil. 



