— 5 — 
trouble in question.” Omitting the account from W heeler s 
report, he says: “ Several analyses have been made of the 
plants which are said to be the cause of this affection, without 
satisfactorily ascertaining what is the peculiar poisonous pi m- 
ciple No antidote has been discovered. If the plants can be 
ascertained and exterminated, the trouble should come to an 
end • but, even if the plants are recognized, their extermina¬ 
tion over large tracts of country will be difficult and expen¬ 
sive ” From the same source we give the botanical descrip¬ 
tion and cuts of the plants, Astragalus Mollissimus-\oco weed: 
“A perennial herbaceous plant of the region of the great 
plains from Colorado to New Mexico. Texas and Arkansas. 
It belongs to the order Legmmnoscn, or pea family. 1 here are 
usually a great many stalks proceeding from a large root 
stock y They are reclining towards the base and erect above. 
These stalks are so short that the leaves and flower stalks 
seem to proceed directly from the root. They are branching 
at the base and give rise to numerous leaves and long stems 
bearing the flowers and pods. The lea\es are usua y 
from 6 to to inches long, composed of 9 to 15 leaflets (in pairs 
except the upper one). These leaflets are of oval form, At oU 
of an*inch long, of a shining, silvery hue, from being clothed 
with soft silky hairs. The flower stalks are about as long 
Sometimes fongerthan the leaves, naked below, and at he 
upper parr i/ 4 to %) bearing a rather thick spike of flowers, 
which P are nearly 1 inch long, narrow, and somewhat cylind¬ 
rical the corolla of a velvety or purple color, the calyx half 
as long as the corolla and softly pubescent. T he flower has the 
general structure of the pea family and is succeeded by short 
oblong, thickish pods, >4 to 3 / inch long, very .smooth and 
with about two seeds in each. Oxyhopis Lamberti- \oco wee . 
A nlant belonging to the same family as the Astragalus 
Mollissimus. It ts about the same height, and like it grows in 
strongly-rooted clumps; but it differs in having an erec 
habit with shorter leaves and longer and stiffly erect flowe 
stalks The leaflets are longer and narrower, about 1 inch 
long by % to inch wide, and hairy especially on the upper 
surface. 7 The flower stalks proceed from the root stock, are 
usually 9 to 12 inches long, and naked except near the top, 
which has a rather close and thick cluster of flowers m 
like those of the Astragalus in general appearance but dift 
ing in some minute characters which separate it into anot 
genus and are succeeded by erect lance, oblong, pointed 
pods, of about 1 inch long. This plant is very abundant on 
the high plains and in the mountains ranging from British 
America to Mexico. The flowers are subject to much vana- 
