258 WESTERN GRAZING GROUNDS AND FOREST RANGES 



east of Albuquerque, N. M., in May, 1912, loco was 

 so plentiful that the brilliant coloring of its blossoms 

 could be seen with the naked eye for three or four miles, 

 the patches often covering 100 acres in one solid bed 

 of color. It is also a well established fact that loco is 

 not plentiful every year but seems to come in for a sea- 

 son and then not be heard from for several years. Every 

 western stockman knows that a wet spring or winter 

 will be followed by a bad loco year. For this reason it 



Loco on the Range Near Albuquerque, N. M. 



is presumed that the seeds in order to germinate re- 

 quire an unusual amount of moisture. 



For many years scientists investigating losses from 

 loco asserted that the plant contained no apparently 

 injurious matter and that the loco effect must come 

 from other causes. But this was received by stockmen 

 with little credence; they simply pointed to the afflicted 

 animals and showed the undoubted connection between 

 the eating of the loco and the serious condition of the 



