16 NOVEMBER 1912, Page 34

THE "LOCO " WEED.

[To ms EDFFOR OF TRH "Srscraion."1 Sin,—In reply to Mr. Thorburn's letter re the "loco" weed in last week's issue, I find that " loco " is the Spanish word for crazy. The evil results described have long been known, and are attributed to various species of Astra.galus and the neighbouring genus Oxytropis. No chemist has yet been known to locate the evil principles. The plants are most difficult to eradicate, owing to their long roots of firm texture. They have handsome pea-like flowers, generally purple, and the pods and numerous seeds are also like those of a pea, but