Diseases of cattle, sheep, goats and swine

by G. Moussu; Jno. A. W. Dollar

Fig. 99.—Red chestnut (Æsculus pavia). a, Flowering branch; b, seed—both two-ninths natural size.

* Ricinus communis.—The castor oil plant is quite commonly cultivated in the warmer portions of the United States, and grows wild in the South. The seeds have been accidentally eaten by horses with fatal effect, and they have been strewn on pasture lands in the North-West for the purpose of killing sheep that were trespassing thereon. A Frenchman has discovered a method of making cattle immune to the effects of the toxalbumin contained in the seeds, so that they may be fed to stock without causing any apparent ill effect. A note on poisoning by castor oil cake will be found hereafter.

BUXACEÆ (BOX FAMILY).

* Buxus sempervirens.—The leaves of the common box, cultivated for hedges, are poisonous to all kinds of stock.

ÆSCULACÆ (HORSE-CHESTNUT FAMILY).

Fig. 100.—Water hemlock (Cicuta maculata), showing section of spindle-shaped roots and lower stem, the leaves, flowers, and fruit, one-half natural size; also fruit and cross-section of seed, enlarged five times.

Æsculus californica, California buckeye: Æ. glabra, Ohio buckeye; fœtid buckeye: Æ. hippocastanum, horse-chestnut: Æ. pavia, red buckeye.—The leaves and fruit of these species are generally regarded as poisonous to stock. The fruit may be easily converted into food by washing and boiling. It is believed that a small quantity of the unprepared fruit of the California buckeye will cause cows to slip their young.

HYPERICACEÆ (ST. JOHN’S WORT FAMILY).

* Hypericum perforatum.—The common St. John’s wort is commonly believed to cause disagreeable eruptions on cows’ udders and on the feet of white haired animals. This species and the spotted St. John’s wort (H. maculatum) were brought into the United States Bureau of Agriculture by Dr. G. W. Bready, from Norwood, Maryland, who stated that five horses were poisoned in May, 1898, by eating meadow hay which contained nearly 50 per cent. of these plants. One horse died from the effects of the poison, and two were killed to prevent their further suffering.