REPORT OF VETERINARIAN 



C. A. Gary 



Auburn, Ala., Jan. 9, 1919. 

 Director J. F. Duggar, 



Auburn, Ala. 

 Sir: 



During 1918 the following wol'k was done. 



(1) An attempt was made to ascertain the toxic effects of 

 red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) when ingested by pigs. 



One pig was given one half ounce of leaves, gathered in 

 the fall, twice daily in feed for five days, then one ounce of 

 buckeye leaves twice daily for five days and then given one 

 and one half ounces twice daily for five days. 



Another pig was given the ground bark and roots, the 

 same amount, same dosage and for the same periods of five 

 days each. The feed given each pig was two parts of velvet 

 bean meal and one part of .shorts. 



Each one of these two pigs in 15 days gained eleven pounds 

 in weight; the daily temperature of each was normal. Blood 

 counts, made before and after the tests were finished, gave 

 no distinct changes in red blood cells or in leucocytes. These 

 two pigs remained in good health and maintained a good 

 appetite. 



A control pig was fed the same ration of velvet bean meal 

 and shorts and gained ten pounds in the 15 days. The con- 

 dition of this pig was practically the same as the two pigs 

 eating the buckeye leaves and bark roots. 



One pig w^as given freshly chopped buckeye nuts, gathered 

 in fall, in green condition, in same doses twice daily in velvet 

 bean meal and shorts for the same periods. The pig ate 

 very little of the feed containing the nuts and lost four pounds 

 during the fifteen days. Toward the end of the test this pig 

 was dull, sluggish, inactive and had an unsteady gait. (This 

 test should have been continued or repeated on one or more 

 l)igs and some means obtained to cover up the taste of the 

 chopped nuts.) The result is doubtful but suggestive of some 

 toxic effects. 



