

RE: Medicinal Pastures

Dear April,
Thanks for the letters, I really appreciate them.
I think that medicinal pastures could be put together
on an informal design, not like Medieval Medicine gardens
but something simple. Also It would have to be kept
seperate from the stock, cause they wouldn't know one
from the other except by taste and couldn't treat themselves.
These plants also often need special attention and couldn't
be grazed and survive well. The plants could be incorporated into
special feed or pellets with mint for flavor perhaps, and 
administered in more correct dosages.
One plant on my list has caused problems when sheep encounter
large amounts of Reed Grass, they eat themselves to death.
About 40 lbs. was found in dead sheep stomach! 
Dear Steve
Yes so true, so true I feel like a fool for suggesting that cattle 
have sense (archetypal or not - part of being domesticated isn''t
we loose the instinctual thinking), 
now I remember fixing fences and having to herd heiffers and 
calves out of the lucerne and then watching the farmer
trying to treat them the next day (I think he had thought I was
exaggerating when I said they looked bloated) he hadn't checked
them soon enough and six died in the middle of the only 
treatment area, I have since been told you can stab the stomach
and I would have practiced on the dead ones to work on the living few
If I'd been given a chance.
Terrible to witness like looking at someone drowning
and in Australia we are trained at school to rescue drowning souls.
The cattle with mild bloat can be treated with oily substances
right, maybe a feed of sunflower or something palatable???