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Yalikun wholeheartedly agreed, "Yes, yes, we really should go and take a look."
There's no rush.
Shi Wen Yalikun was keeping watch over two horses at his house, waiting for Sikewell to come.
Sikewell didn't get back until the afternoon. Upon arriving, he checked on the two horses and, finding them alright, breathed a sigh of relief, "Luckily you were home, otherwise, we'd be completely helpless in this situation."
Shi Wen, "Your remote guidance to them on inducing vomiting should also be effective."
Sikewell waved his hand. "That's not necessarily true. Has it been confirmed that you ate something wrong? What did you eat wrong?"
Shi Wen, "I don't know either. We'll have to go to the grazing area to find out."
"Let's go take a look together then." Sikewell looked at Yalikun, "Why don't you bring two more people with us?"
Yalikun nodded immediately. "I'll go get him right away."
The presence of something that could harm horses on the grasslands was a serious matter, so Yalikun went out for a stroll and returned with a large group of men.
Yalikun asked, "Are these enough people? If not, I'll go to my wife's house and call over another group."
Sikewell said, "That's enough. It's not like we're going to war."
They set off for the grasslands and soon arrived at the pasture where Yalikun grazed his livestock.
He pointed ahead and said, "I usually let the horses roam around nearby; they should be here today too."
Sikewell: "Then look for any unusual grasses, mushrooms, or insects. Any oddly shaped stones also count; it's likely that something poisonous has gotten in."
After Sikewell finished speaking, everyone dispersed and began searching at their own pace.
Those present were all herders, and they were very familiar with pasture and other vegetation.
A moment later, a middle-aged herdsman brought over a stalk of grass. "Is this it? I don't think I've ever seen this kind of grass before."
Sikewell: "Let me see?"
Shi Wen also leaned over to take a look.
The grass the herdsmen brought looked a lot like reeds, but from Shi Wen smell it seemed unlikely to be reeds. However, it should still be a grass of the Poaceae family, and it looked strangely familiar.
Sikewell broke off a piece and smelled it, then shared a piece with Shi Wen smell as well.
After Shi Wen said, "The smell is wrong, it's a bit bitter, it must be poisonous."
Sikewell: "This looks like drunken horse grass."
This time, not only Shi Wen, but other herders were also completely confused, not knowing what "drunken horse grass" was.
Seeing everyone's puzzled expressions, Sikewell explained, "I've seen this kind of 'horse-intoxicating grass' before when I went to the provincial capital for training. It's also called 'horse-trapping grass.' Other livestock won't be seriously affected if they eat it, but horses might get poisoned and die."
Shi Wen: "Really? How do we treat this?"
Sikewell: "When I went there for training, the locals were giving vinegar to horses that had accidentally eaten drowsy grass."
Shi Wen was stunned. "What kind of logic is that? Does drinking vinegar work?"
Sikewell: "Some can be saved, some can't; it depends on the horse's condition."
Yalikun looked at the drunken horse grass for a while. "We didn't have this kind of grass here before."
Sikewell: "Maybe it was brought here by some animal? Everyone, look again and see if there are any other Drunken Horse Grasses. If so, pull them up."
One herdsman said, "This grass looks like it will grow very fast. If it spreads, it probably won't be able to get rid of it."
"I don't think they can be eradicated now," a young herdsman said pessimistically. "I just saw one."
Sikewell: "If you can't get rid of it, take it back and teach the horses not to eat this grass. They can distinguish which ones are edible and which ones aren't; just teach them a few times."
That's all we can do now. With such a vast grassland, it's impossible to send people to pull out every single stalk of Drunken Horse Grass.
Even if they are pulled out, they may still have seeds lying dormant in the soil, which will sprout again after a while.
Everyone was somewhat disheartened to see such a poisonous plant on the pasture.
Sikewell asked for two plants of Drunken Horse Grass, saying he would report it and educate herders in other areas.
Shi Wen, "We need to plant this 'drunken horse grass' in flowerpots, otherwise it's hard to popularize its science."
Sikewell: "That makes sense. I'll find two big flowerpots later."
Shi Wen how worried he was, Shi Wen sighed, "You've all worked so hard."
Sikewell: "It's nothing, just something to mention. Raising horses isn't easy for anyone; if a horse gets poisoned, the loss would be huge."
Shi Wen also took a stalk of Drunken Horse Grass back with him, intending to show it to his own horse.
This place isn't far from their ranch; perhaps some seeds of Drunken Horse Grass have drifted over there.
Their mare is pregnant, and if they don't handle it properly and the mare accidentally ingests it, their losses could be huge.
Shi Wen brought the Drunken Horse Grass home, Yan Kexing recognized it immediately. "We already have Drunken Horse Grass here?"
"Yes, I just found it today." Shi Wen placed the drunken horse grass on the windowsill. "Is this considered an invasive species?"
Yan Kexing: "I guess so. Is it spreading badly?"
"It's alright now, just a few scattered plants outside," Shi Wen said, adding, "But it's only early spring, the grass underneath hasn't fully grown yet, I wonder what it will be like later?"
Yan Kexing: "Don't worry too much. Animals can instinctively tell whether a plant is poisonous or not. If it doesn't taste right, they won't eat it. It's spring now, and there's so much grass outside. Drunken horse grass isn't a good choice."
Shi Wen, "I hope so."
Yan Kexing: "I've never heard of any livestock being poisoned to death on such a large scale by wild grass. If they were that stupid, they wouldn't have survived until today. However, the fact that the 'Drunken Horse Grass' has spread here is indeed a serious matter. I'll make a note of it and report it in a couple of days."
Shi Wen: "Does academia have any solutions for dealing with them?"
Yan Kexing: "Not for now. There are very few medicines that can treat a single type of plant, and even if there were, the cost would be prohibitive. Forget about it. I have good news for you."