livestock Poisoning by Pesticides
|Now Can Be Diagnosed More Easily
Occasional but expensive live
stock poisoning by insecticide,
and herbicides has led USDA to
study and develop some guides in
dealing with this hard-to-diagnose
type of ailment.
The newer chemicals are a
boon to agriculture. Most of them
are used on crops intended for
livestock feed and can be so used
safely. But poisoning can occur
wnen animals are allowed to eat
overtreated plants.
THE CHLORINATED liydro
carbon insecticides are an exam
ple They include the well known
and widely used DDT, TDE, meth
oxychlor, benzene hexachlor iso
dnn, and endnn These act pri
marily on the central nervous sys
tern produce many symptoms
from severe depression to vio
lent convulsions and death by res
piratory paralysis In autopsies on
mildly poisoned animals, the liv
er, kidneys, and sometimes the
brain were found to be affected
But surprisingly few such symp-
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MOUNT JOY. PA.
Phone Mt. Joy OL 34911
New Shred-All Cutter
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the Basic Cutter unit is perfect for shredding stalks,
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Conestoga Farm Service
Park Ave. Quarryville. Pa.
toms were found in acue poison
ing
Diagnosis of poisoning by the
chlorinated hydrocarbons should
be made only after thorough
study of the history, symptoms,
length of exposure, and lesions.
Veterinarian R. D. Radeleff of
the ARS entomology reseaich sta
tion, Kerrville, Texas, found this
is necessary That’s because fully
a third of the test autopsies failed
to reflect the ailment, even where
severe toxic symptoms were pres
ent.
IN MAKING AN autopsy diag
nosis of suspected chronic poison
ing, it’s better to analyze the stom
ach contents ather than the tis
sues, for excessive amounts of
poisons. Or if the animal has been
sprayed, it’s better to analyze the
hair rather than the tissues The
animal may have accommodated
itself to chronic buildup of pois
ons in the tissues but may actually
be suffering from serious dis
orders such as rabies, pseudo rab
ies, encephahties, and salt poison
ing
Animals that show cleareut
sjmptoms of poisoning by chlor
inated hydrocarbons will usually
recover completely if provided a
quieting agent, soothing environ
ment, good nursing care, and
Iresh, uncontaminated feed
ORGANIC POSPHORUS com
pounds are closely allied to the
nerve gases developed for chem
ical warfare These compounds in
clude parathion, methyl para
thion, malathion, Dipterex, chlor
othion, Guthion, and others. They
aci primarily by adversely af
fecting the animal’s nervous sys
tem. Animals so poisoned breathe
vith difficulty, slobber, and stif
fen Spontaneous recoveries are
common if the poisoning isn’t sev
ere or if recovery isn’t interrupt
od Autopsies on poisoned animals
ohow only some swelling or con-
R. M. Brubaker
Salunga, Pa.
the
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purpose
cutter
Wheat Penalty
Rate* $1:09 7
On 1958 Excess
The U S Department of Agu
culture recently announced a mar
keting quota penalty rate of $1 09
pci bushel on “excess” wheat of
the 1958 crop.
As directed by law, the rate of
the marketing quota penalty is 45
per cent of the parity price per
bushel of wheat as of May 1 of
the calendar year in which the
crop is harvested. The current
parity price for wheat is $2 42 per
bushel
Growers approved marketing
quotas for the 1958 wheat crop on
June 20, 1957 When wheat mar
keting quotas are in effect, a
farmer who does not comply with
the wheat acreage allotment es
tablished for his farm is subject
to a penalty on his fam marketing
excess, unless he harvests 15 acres
oi less or has s'igned an agreement
permitting him to produce up to
30 acres of wheat for feed use on
the farm
Wheat produced on a farm hav-
gestion of the lungs
Atropine sulfate is a good anti
dote for organic-phosphorous pois
omng But it must be given in
large doses about one-forth
intravenously and the rest subcu
taneously or intramuscularly Re
ccntly, 2-PAM (2 pyramidyl aldo
xime methiodile) preferably
administered with atropine sul
fate was found to be especially
good in parathios and diazinon
poisoning
Amount of insecticide applied
to the crop is as important as
toxicity in evaluating the chemi
cal’s angers. Some highly toxic in
secticides are safe because they
are used m such small quantities
on crops that it’s almost impossi
blc for animals to get enough to
be nofSoned. But some of the less
toxic compounds become danger
ous because of the much greater
quantities used on crops Import
ant, too, is the size of the chemi
cal particles The larger the par
tides in the emulsions, the great
er the deposits on an animal’s
hair
Many farmers don’t understand
the effects of concentration and
arpticle size on animals. Plant
chemicals generally deposit more
o\icants than o livestock prepara
tions Even thogh pesticides are
properly manufactured, they may
be misused Plant chemicals often
are used on animals This has led
to some of our greatest livestock
losses
HERBICIDES HAVE rarely
been known to poison livestock
despite claims to the contrary, ac
cording to Radeleft. The fact that
herbicides are used to kill foliage
limits the palatabihty of the treat
ed plants The only danger lies in
consumption of freshly treated
plants. And this can be avoided
by removing livestock from the
heated area for one or two weeks
at most The large dosages of
these compounds required to pois
on also limits the dangers of their
use.
Pentachlorophenol used to
defoliate cotton and to preserve
wood was found by Radeleff to
be lethal for calves up to a year
old at 10 milligrams per kilogram
of live body weight and mildly
toxic at 25 mg per kg. Sheep were
killed by 200 mg per kg, recover
ed from 100 mg per kg, suffered
mildly from 25 mg per kg. Ani
mals aren’t apt to eat too much.
LIGHT APPLICATIONS of the
algacide Delrad in ponds weren’t
hermful to cattle or sheep when
they drank water containing 100
parts of the chemical per milion.
Cattle showed severe poisoning at
doses of 250 mg. per kg; young
calves were severely affected by
350 mg. per kg; and sheep were
affected by 500 mg. per kg.
Work elsewhere has shown that
2,4-D and 2,4,5-T (common weed
killers) and their derivatives
aren’t very toxic. Cattle, sheep,
cows, and swine were pastured un
der test on foliage treated at high
er than normal rates with no
harmful effects The toxicity of
arsenical compounds is well es
tablished A few are still used and
doubtless will continue in use for
specialized work
Lancaster Farming, Friday, May 30, 1958—11
Large Number of Broilers Likely
Next Year as Pullet Placements Rise
Prospects for larger numbers
of broiler chickens next year are
seeming moie certain with the
release of the April broiler pul
let placement report this week
mg a farm marketing excess is
not eligible for price support.
The national average minimum
support price for 1958-crop wheat
is $1 78 per buch, which was 75
per cent ot the April 1957 parity
price" with a transitional adjust
ment The final average support
price for the 1958 crop will be
7o ner cent of the effective parity
as of July 1, 1958, if this is higher.
Dozen DHIA
Openings Now
In Solanco Area
Dairy Herd Improvement Assn
memberships are being sought
lor Assn 10 in the Quarryville
and southern Lancaster County
area, according to Victor Plastow,
associate county agent
Plastow said Monday that the
new record year begins June 1
A new tesfer will be hired for
the area and the association hopes
enough work will be available to
make it a full-time position
At least a dozen herds can be
added to the association, Plastow
said.
Dairymen interested in loinmg
Assn. 10 should contact Plastow
at the Lancaster County Agri
cultural Extension Office, 202 Post
Office Bldg, Lancaster.
Increase your yields and your profits.
Easily applied. Saves Time. Saves Labor.
DEALERS
CLARENCE RUTT
NEW HOLLAND Ph. EL 4-8797
350 Strasburg Pike. Ph. Lane. EX 3-7607
Lititz RD3 Ph. MA 6-7766
HIE
by the stale Crop Reporting Serv
ice
Ton of the largest primary
breeders of broiler replacement
stock placed 3,320,000 thicks in.
April, nine per cent more than
the 3,033,000 pullet chicks placed
in Apul 1957
Pullet chick placements by
these 10 breeders during the
first four months of 1958 totaled
10,690,000 13 per cent more
than during the same penod of
1957 -
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