396 DISEASES OF CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, ETC. 



slight convulsions, with perspiration. The pulse is depressed, irregu- 

 lar, and afterwards intermittent. 



The chemical antidote is tannic acid, which forms an insoluble 

 compound with the aconitin. The depressing effect on the heart 

 should be counteracted by the use of ammonia, digitalis, alcohol, cam- 

 phor, or other diffusible stimulants, which have a physiological effect 

 opposite to aconite. 



Turpentine Poisoning. Many conifers, but especially some spe- 

 cies of pines, contain turpentine. In the winter and early spring the 

 ends of the branches of such trees may be eaten by cattle. If a suf- 

 ficient quantity is consumed, poisoning may result. 



The symptoms signify more or less severe irritation of the diges- 

 tive and urinary tracts. There is poor appetite, abdominal pain, 

 emaciation, dark urine, which may contain blood, difficulty in pass- 

 ing urine, constrained attitude, and sensitiveness to pressure over the 

 loins. Later there may be excitation followed by depression of the 

 nervous system. 



Change food. Give linseed tea, barley gruel, or slippery-elm 

 bark infusion. For the excitement give chloral hydrate or bromid of 

 potash. 



Dietetic Poisons. A small but important group of poisons may 

 be classed under this head. In some cases it is poison naturally be- 

 longing to the plant; in other cases the poisonous principle is de- 

 veloped in what would otherwise be harmless plants as a plant dis- 

 ease, or as a fermentation or putrefaction due to bacterial growth and 

 observed in forage, grain, or meal that has heated, become damaged, 

 or "spoilt." 



Loco Weed Poisoning. The "loco weed" is a term applied to 

 leguminous plants of several genera, all of which are supposed to 

 have certain similar effects on horses and cattle. It is found on the 

 Plains and in the natural pastures of some of our Western States and 

 Territories. The plant grows on high, gravelly, or sandy soil. It has 

 a rather attractive appearance, and retains its soft, pale green color all 

 winter. Of one of the most common species (Astragallus mollissi- 

 mus) it may be said that a mass of leaves 4 to 10 inches high grow 

 from the very short stem. The leaves are pinnate, similar in form to 

 those of a locust tree, with ten pairs of leaflets and an odd terminal 

 one. The flower scape grows from the center of the plant. The 

 flowers, shaped like pea blossoms, appear in June or July, and are 

 yellow tinted with violet. The seeds are contained in a pod about half 

 an inch long. It is said that a stalk-boring larva has attacked the 

 plant and seems to be doing much toward eradicating it. 



Horses and cattle seem to acquire a taste for loco weeds, although 

 it is not a plant that would be considered as a food or that would be 

 eaten with a relish the first time. In the early spring, when herbage 

 is scarce, its green appearance may attract the animal, and the habit 

 of eating it be thus acquired. Its effect is not noticeable till a con- 

 siderable quantity has been eaten. It seems to exert its influence on 

 the nervous system. The gait is slow and measured, the step high, 

 the eyes glassy and staring, the vision defective. Sudden excitement 



