Wholesale Poisoning.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 813, 30 September 1887, Page 20

Wholesale Poisoning.

There is a poisonous herb iu New South Wales that is very noxious, although uot 1 lately its effect on sheep do not seem to have been very marked. It has, however, made its mark this lime, that is,according to the Syr'ney Mali of the 13th nit., which publishes two telegrams about the affair. The first eava ‘lntelligence was received at the Mines Department on Tuesday, to the effect that about 1000 sheep had been poisoned, through aoms unknown cause, on the road t> Bourhe, about 10 miles from that place. Inspect >r Maliou, the Government stock inspects for the dirt;ict, telegraphed later in the day that lie had been t> visit the place where the Bhtep Were, an l bad found about 500 of the sheep already dead ; the remainder rapidly dying. The Government have despatched Mr Stanley, the Government veterinarian, to examine iha sheep and report on the matter. Mr Stanley left by the mail train on Tuesday n : ght. The second observes : A telegram from Bourke on Thursday Si y 3 :—Tbe mob of Mr Hurtle Fisher’* ewes, over 1000 oi which lately died from the tff ;ct of poison near here, now seem recovered from the mo3t violent effects, though many are still weak and hardly fit to travel. The Government veterinary surgeon, Mr Stanley, this morning went out to stone quarries where the -supposed poison plant grows. The plant which is credited with the mischief is well known to drovers as poUonou3, beiog low and creeping, and when brokeu iu any part large quantities of milk exude. It is kuown about here and iu Southern Queensland as the milk plant or pox plant. The t >wn council grante l the drover iu charge an extra day to steady the sheep before reaching the water.