Show Co Agent Says By COUNTY AGENT DEL C. C PURNELL Death Camas Just mentioning mentioning mentioning men men- the name of this poisonous poisonous poi poi- poisonous plant now prominent in foothills and wetter lands of Utah makes some shudder notes Karl Parker extension range management specialist with the Utah State University Although cattle and horses are sometimes poisoned by death camas sheep are the most common victims It sometimes c a u uses se s serious death loss among sheep on the range he explained Its poisoning symptoms are frothing frothing frothing froth froth- ing at the mouth then trembling trembling ling falling vomiting and sometimes the animal goes into a coma or a stupor for a aday aday aday day or two and then dies Actually he says death camas is poisonous to 10 any animal animal animal ani ani- mal that eats cats it and some people mistaking it for wild onion have suffered the con con- sequences The leaves and bulb somewhat resemble the wild onion except they dont don't have an onion odor and death camas leaves are flat the bulb has a black and a spike- spike like cluster of white or cream color flowers on a long slender slender slen slen- slender der stem extends slightly above inch half wide bright green like grass leaves Parker points out that death camas does most damage in inthe inthe inthe the foothills mountain ranges and higher desert areas at this time of year The plant is now young and palatable A little later in the grazing season the tops will begin drying up and the plant becomes unpalatable Defer until then any grazing of rangeland that is highly in in- with death camas the range specialist advises Death camas is harder to kill than sagebrush but 90 per cent control has been ob ob- This was accomplished by spraying it along with the the sagebrush using three tree lbs Ibs of the ester form of 2 2 4 D 4 D per infested arce when the death camas flowers were in the bud stage and then making a similar application a second year For many ranchers the most practical measure against the death camas is avoid heavy grazing use of spring range by any class of livestock suggests the Range Specialist To facilitate facilitate facilitate fa fa- fa- fa this he advocates the spraying or plowing big sagebrush sagebrush sagebrush sage sage- brush and seeding crested wheatgrass for early spring pastures |