600 DISEASES OF CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, ETC. 



desirable forage is thus afforded for the sheep at the season when 

 poisonous plants are most often eaten. 



It is highly desirable that herders should familiarize themselves 

 with the appearance of the more important poisonous plants in all 

 their stages. They will thus be enabled to recognize such plants at 

 once, and to herd sheep and other stock away from the dangerous 

 areas. A herder who is familiar with the appearance of poisonous 

 plants should be more valuable to the sheep raiser, for the reason that 

 he will be in a position to avoid many serious losses. The number of 

 plants which are of great economic importance from their poisonous 

 principles is not large, and many of them are already thoroughly 

 known by the average herder. In some cases, however, great confu- 

 sion prevails as to the names of plants, and this confusion can only 

 be avoided by careful study of the characters of the plants. It would 

 seem almost inexcusable to confound death camas and the wild onion, 

 yet such has been the case for a number of years over a large portion 

 of the State. In some localities lupines are known as loco weeds or 

 larkspurs indifferently, and vice versa. 



On some portions of the range where death camas grows very 

 abundantly it will probably be found necessary to abandon certain 

 areas during the spring months. Later in the season, as already indi- 

 cated, the death camas dries up and offers no tempting forage to 

 stock. 



The possibility of eradicating a poisonous plant by digging mani- 

 festly depends almost entirely upon the extent of its distribution. In 

 the case of the tall larkspur, which usually occurs in well-defined 

 areas, the plant might be dug up at a moderate expenditure. The 

 water hemlock also occurs in well-defined localities along streams and 

 irrigation ditches, and might be exterminated in the same manner. 

 Such plants as the loco weeds, death camas, and purple larkspur, 

 however, grow in too great variety of situations and in too great quan- 

 tity to be exterminated in this manner. Even cultivation of such 

 areas can not be recommended, since ordinarily difficulty would be 

 experienced in getting water upon the land in sufficient quantity to 

 irrigate, and no cultivated crops could therefore be raised. 



In the treatment of poisoned animals serious mistakes are often 

 committed by herders and cowboys. It is frequently assumed that 

 poisoned animals must be kept moving under all circumstances. This 

 may possibly be beneficial in poisoning of a narcotic nature, where 

 the animals become stupefied. In all cases, however, where unusual 

 excitement is manifested, the animal should be left entirely to itself, 

 without any additional cause of fright or excitement. The inevit- 

 able result of all unnecessary stimulation of animals which are poi- 

 soned upon the range is to exaggerate the effects of the poison and to 

 hasten a fatal result. In general, therefore, it would seem advisable 

 to allow animals to lie down or to move about at will, without any 

 interference. The injurious effects of urging sheep forward, when 

 suffering from larkspur poisoning, have already been described by 

 the writer in Montana Experiment Station Bulletin No. 15. Sheep 

 herders and cowboys have resorted at once to bleeding in all cases of 



