80 AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



upon his digestion. His excrement, which before was black, 

 hard, and dry, becomes soft, and of a healthy yellow ap- 

 pearance. When this is accomplished, the patient is- safe, 

 and not until then, as this will not be the case until the 

 disease is fairly broken. The use of the "jimson" seed 

 will do more to free him from the general effects of big 

 head than all the other medicine which can be given him. 

 Hundreds have been cured by it where no other means 

 were employed. 



The author recollects one remarkable case of this sort. 

 Mr. Eichard Cross, of Hardeman County, Tennessee, had 

 two valuable horses nearly ruined with big head. He 

 turned them into a cotton-gin lot, of two or three acres, 

 where was growing a flourishing crop of "jimson" weeds, 

 determined that they should eat this or starve. Pressed by 

 the gnawings of hunger, the horses first nibbled away at the 

 leaves, then fed upon the buds, and at last devoured stalks 

 and all. Compassion finally drew his attention to these 

 poor creatures, and to his astonishment he found them 

 nearly well. When turned into the lot they could scarcely 

 drag their feet over a rail, lying on the ground; but now 

 the little negro who first informed him of their improve* 

 ment, put the case emphatically in these words: "Massa, 

 I tink ole Gray 'most well ; he kick up his heels." Years 

 afterward the writer saw the same old gray horse, as well 

 and fat as could be desired. 



In case the "jimson" seed can not be procured, a quarter 

 of a pound of sulphur may be given daily, to the amount 

 of three or four pounds. In connection with the sulphur, the 

 horse should have an aloes pill every other day for a week ; 

 but the "jimson" seed should be obtained, if possible. !N"o 

 other remedy can be absolutely depended upon, and it is prin- 

 cipally to his reliance upon it that the author attributes his 

 great success in curing big head at the South. 



The swelling of the head and jaws will disappear very 

 gradually, and if it has been unusually great, the "bunches" 

 will always show to some extent ; but it will become less and 



9 i 



