Cows can eat it, so can we

Liberty Star-Banner, June 1836

There is nothing better than a decoction of tobacco for destroying insects that infest either animals or plants. We have frequently with safety and success, dipped young lambs in it, for the purpose of destroying ticks; but when applied to animals, care should be taken that it not be made so strong as to injure the animals, especially young ones; when given internally, any degree of strength is always dangerous -- on plants it cannot be made too strong.

In support of this theory, we give the following cases -- Mr. Renick of Pickaway County applied a strong decoction of tobacco to a young and valuable calf, with the intention of killing some lice with which the calf was infected.

On making the application, the calf was immediately paralyzed and was with difficulty recovered. The insects were, however, destroyed and the calf eventually benefitted.

Last fall a distinguished Kentucky cattle breeder, Mr. G.N. Sanders, attended the fair of the Hamilton County Agricultural Society with a choice lot of blooded cattle; after the fair he turned them into the orchard in which the ground was covered with fallen apples; they having been kept in a lot without food for the principal part of a day, very naturally gorged themselves with the fruit and in consequence, were seized with a violent cholic; in this dilemma, being advised by a physician to administer a strong decoction of tobacco in a full-blooded short-horn cow, he took the advice, and did administer the decoction as strong as it could be made, both into the stomach and by injection. The result was, the cow expired in a few minutes.

Farm & Mechanic

Note: So, what lessons have we learned?