82 STOCK-POISONING PLANTS OF MONTANA. 



results. During the season of 1900 in Montana there were five cases 

 of poisoning in human beings from this cause and four deaths. This 

 species seems to be equally as dangerous as the better known water 

 hemlock ( C. maculata) of the Eastern States. The symptoms described 

 are practically identical with those produced by the eastern plant. 

 Full observations on water hemlock were confined to determining the 

 extent of its distribution, and the frequency with which it is eaten by 

 different animals. The time of year when it is most frequently eaten 

 by sheep and cattle is that of its active growth when it offers an abun- 

 dance of tempting fodder, mainly before the flowering stems are pro- 

 duced. During the season of 1900 the water hemlock began to bloom 

 over the greater part of the State about June 15. 



This plant, as already stated, grows in rather wet places, and, except 

 where grasses have formed a tough sod, its roots may be readily pulled 

 up with the stem. In fact this is what usuall}^ happens, since the stem 

 is firmly united with the roots and is not easil}^ broken at their junction. 

 It was not determined to what extent the roots are eaten b}^ sheep and 

 cattle when pulled up in connection with the stem. In a number of 

 cases of sheep poisoning the roots had been eaten and were found in 

 the stomach of the victims. In other cases an examination of the 

 locality where the poisoning had occurred showed that the plants had 

 been pulled with the roots attached, but the latter had been left lying 

 upon the ground. In still other cases water hemlock had been eaten 

 off without disturbing the roots. Field observations indicate that the 

 leaves and stems, including the basal portion of this plant, at least dur- 

 ing the early stages of growth, contained sufficient poison to produce 

 death. The roots contain fi virulent poison. In the cases of himian 

 poisoning the only portion of the plant eaten was the roots. Mr. E. J. 

 Moore, of the Agricultural College, informed us that his father lost 

 horses occasionally while plowing up new land bordering on marshes, 

 the horses in these instances eating the roots. A few cases of the 

 poisoning of horses from eating meadow hay containing the plant 

 have been reported to this Department from Montana. Some farmers 

 are of the opinion that the tops of the young plants, exclusive of the 

 roots, are poisonous when less than a foot or so in height, and that later 

 the whole top may be eaten with impunity. Instances of stock eating 

 the tops in the more advanced stages without injury were cited by at 

 least two persons. 



EXPERIMENTS. " 



Experiment 1. — The upper portion of nonflowering plants less than 

 a foot in height were gathered June 3, and having been kept turgid in 

 a tin box, were fed June 4 and June 5. In the first case the material 

 was fed out of hand in small pieces to a 1-pound rabl)it until, aftm- ten 

 minutes, it had eaten all of sixteen leaves. The remainder of (30 grams 



