POISONS AND POISONING. 69 



bloody feces, become weak, and exhibit muscular trembling. There 

 is good reason to think, too, that the milk of cows eating this plant 

 is more or less injurious. 



Treatment. — A purgative like Epsom salt will aid an animal in 

 recovering, but most important is to remove the cattle from pastures 

 where the plant is abundant and give them an abundance of good 

 forage. Under such conditions they are almost certain to recover. 



MILKWEEDS. 



Many of the milkweeds have long been known to have more or less 

 poisonous properties. Within the last few years it has been discov- 

 ered that certain of the milkweeds going under the popular name of 

 whorled milkweeds are especially toxic. There are at least four 

 species of whorled milkweeds, but two of them are particularly im- 

 portant from the standpoint of people handling livestock. One, 

 known scientifically as Asclepias galioides, is harmful in Colorado, 

 Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, while another, known as Asdepias 

 me.ricana, has produced losses, especially in California and Nevada. 

 These whorled milkweeds are distasteful to all animals and are eaten 

 only when the stock is closely confined to pastures where there is little 

 else in the way of forage. 



Sijmptoms. — The most prominent symptoms are weakness, produc- 

 ing staggering, and this is followed in acute cases by violent spasms. 



Treatment. — There is no treatment which will effectively antidote 

 the effect of the poison. In practically all cases, however, poisoning 

 may be avoided if care is taken to prevent animals from being closely 

 confined where this plant is abundant, as they never eat the plant by 

 choice. 



CHERRY. 



In the leaves of the cherries more or less hydrocyanic acid is pro- 

 duced, and when these leaves are eaten in any considerable quantity 

 cases of poisoning are likely to arise. It is popularly supposed that 

 these cases arise from eating wilted cherry leaves, but there is every 

 reason to think that the fresh leaves will produce the same results. 

 These cases are easily prevented, because no harm results from eat- 

 ing a small quantity of the leaves, and if the fact is recognized that 

 poisoning may result from eating a large quantity, it is not difficult 

 to care for the animals so as to prevent poisoning. 



ERGOTISM. 



The poisonous effects of ergot (Pis. V, VI) appear chiefly in the 

 winter and spring of the year and among cattle. It is developed 

 among grasses grown on rich soil in hot, damp seasons. Rye seems 

 more liable to ergot than any of our other crops. Of the grasses 



