LUPINES. 103 



have occurred before the hipine i.s cut. It may be stated that as a 

 general rule lupine is not cut until the latter part of August or the 

 first part of September. 



There is a striking variation in the quantit}^ of pods containing 

 fully developed seeds in different years. During seasons in which the 

 months of May and June are wet the quantity of pods formed on the 

 lupines is very large. When, on the other hand, these months are 

 usually dry, only a few pods are found on each plant, the vast majority 

 of flowers failing to become fertilized. In a large mountainous State, 

 such as Montana, one would naturally expect to find great local differ- 

 ences in the amount of rainfall and other climatic features, depending 

 partly upon location with reference to the streams, forests, moun- 

 tains, and parth' upon altitude. Corresponding to these differences 

 variations are noticed in the quantity of pods formed on the lupines 

 in different parts of the State. 



In observing the feeding habits of sheep, one readily notices that 

 these animals are especially fond of the pods of various native legumi- 

 nous plants. These pods before becoming mature are usually quite 

 succulent and possess a sweet, pleasant taste, resembling in many 

 instances that of the pods of the cultivated pea. The lupines are 

 among the plants which offer pods of this character. In various parts 

 of the State it was noticed that sheep had fed extensively upon these 

 and the other legumes and that the part eaten was almost exclusivel}^ 

 the green pods. 



The above observations concerning the native lupines of Montana 

 are made for the purpose of indicating the large extent to which the}'^ 

 are used for forage, and also as a foundation for the discussion of their 

 poisonous nature. 



Cases of poisoning. — The first case of poisoning from lupines which 

 was brought to our attention occurred in August, 1896. A band of 

 sheep while being moved from one range to another was driven 

 rapidl}^ and was consequently in a very hungry condition, when it 

 was allowed to feed in a field of lupine for a short time. Within two 

 hours after beginning to eat the lupine a number of sheep manifested 

 violent s^^mptoms of poisoning, and a few died within one hour after 

 the appearance of the first signs of poisoning. Of the 200 sheep in 

 the band 100 had died before the following morning. The season of 

 1896 was rather lute and at the time when the poisoning occurred the 

 lupine pods were fulh" formed, but the seeds were not quite ripe. In 

 this case the sheep were driven away from the lupine as soon as the 

 first symptoms of poisoning had been noticed and some of the sheep 

 had eaten only small quantities of the plant. About 150 out of the 

 200 were affected, and as only 50 of these ultimately recovered it will 

 be seen that the death rate was very high. 



The owner of these sheep during the same season cut a quautit}" of 



