1909.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 183 



CATTLE POISONING FROM ARSENATE 



OF LEAD. 



JAS. B. PAIGE, D.V.S.* 



Ever since farmers began using arsenic componnds for the 

 destruction of insect pests there has been considerable discussion 

 as to the possibilities and probabilities of farm animals becom- 

 ing poisoned from eating the poisoned foliage of the sprayed 

 plants or the grass grown under trees that have been treated 

 with arsenical preparations. This discussion began with the 

 use of Paris green and London purple, used for the destruction 

 of potato bugs and codling moths, and has more recently in- 

 cluded the use of the many insecticides the most of which con- 

 tain some form of arsenic. As early as 1889 Prof, A. J. Cook 

 of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, giving the 

 results of extensive experiments to test the efficiency of Paris 

 green, London purple and white arsenic as insecticides, in a 

 paper read at the meeting of the Society for the Promotion of 

 Agricultural Science at Toronto, says : " Thus we have demon- 

 strated that the arsenites are eifective against the codling moth, 

 that in their use there is no danger of poisoning the fruit, and 

 when used properly no danger to the foliage nor to stock that 

 may be pastured in the orchard." 



With the advent of arsenate of lead as an insecticidej in 1893, 

 the question arose as to the dangers to stock pastured in fields 

 where this insecticide had been used, or of the dangers of using 

 the hay from such fields. 



Tn "Agriculture of Massachusetts" for 1897 Mr. A. H. 

 Kirkland, a scientist in the employ of the Gypsy Moth Commis- 

 sion of the State Board of Agriculture, reported a single ex- 

 periment with a horse, to determine if there was danger to ani- 



• Albert L. Whiting, of the class of 1908, had charge of the animals and attended to the 

 feeding of the arsenate of lead while the experiment was in progress. 



