Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 July 1877 — Agricultural Department. [ARTICLE]

Agricultural Department.

A New Hog Destroyer. A Texas correspondent of ‘ Htmveand Fartn. published at Louisville, Ky., write# as follows: * Without consuming much space, 1 wish again to call the attention of the hog raisers especially, and stock-raisers generally, to an instance in which the writer has latety been the second time sadly victimized. A couple of weeks ago 1 had my entire herd, one hundred and sixty hogs, poisoned by eating young cockle burs. Out of this number twenty died in the space of fifteen hours from the tame they got the jioison. i After every rain sufficient to , wet the ground thoroughly the ; bur germinates in the course jof three days, and springs up , with two slender leaves, and at , this age and size the hog devours them with great gusto; and jus* so sure as they are plentiful, and he has time to get a good supply in his stomach, he is a dead hog. They do not seem to care for or touch them except when just out of the ground, as they are never seen to eat them at other times, or at least to sicken and die from their poisonous effects except at this age, for after three or. four leaves have grown on the plants you - can allow hogs to aim among the in with impunity. From this statement it seems evident to the observer that the plant contains a poisonous property at or immediately after it sprouts the ground, which is soon lost by contact with thcifliHnosphere, or from the unknown causes, or the young plant with two leaves only attacks the gustatory tastes of the bog, and that lie will noteat ifal’any other time. Be this as it may, at this stage of its growth it is as fatal and sure a poison to the hogarnux vomica and its active properties are to the canine species.