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In treating- the animals cathartics and stimulants were administered, 

 but, as already stated, all cows died and only the heifer survived after 

 a long struggle. It may be of interest to note that this heifer refused 

 feed for several days after becoming poisoned; however, when a bunch 

 of wild onions was offered to her, she displayed a greedy appetite for 

 it and would have devoured it had she been permitted to do so. 



The strong odor detected in the milk, breath and the paunch of the 

 poisoned animals closely resembled that of wild onion and provided a 

 clue for the probable cause of poisoning. In making a close search of 

 the pasture in question a good-sized patch of wild onion (Allium cana- 

 dense) was found. No other poisonous plants were noticed. The onion 

 patch showed much evidence of recent grazing and it appeared quite 

 certain that the cows had partaken of the onions. The plants in ques- 

 tion were nearly mature, each having a cluster of a dozen or more 

 aerial bulblets. The leaves were nearly all dried and the stems were 

 rather tough. It was quite apparent, therefore, that the aerial bulblets 

 formed the main portion of the cows' feast. 



All evidence seemed to point to the onions as the cause of the poi- 

 soning. This particular species and its close relative, wild garlic (Al- 

 lium vineale), are well known to taint dairy products and the flesh of 

 animals feeding on them in the pastures of southern Indiana. In addi- 

 tion to the tainting effect, they may also produce colic and diarrhoea, 

 especially in horses. No effects of more serious consequence, however, 

 were ever recorded. All kinds of live-stock are fond of wild onions and 

 garlic and will usually take them in preference to any forage plants. 

 However, the plants are generally eaten, whenever found in the pas- 

 tures, in their tender leaf stage early in the spring. The young plants 

 are very mild in flavor as compared with the mature plants, especially 

 the aerial bulblets. The oil which gives the plants their characteristic 

 odor and which may seriously affect the grazing animals, is, undoubtedly, 

 developed in greater proportion in the bulblets than in the foliage of the 

 young plants. This may account for the fact that young plants cause 

 no serious poisoning while plants with fully developed aerial bulblets 

 are liable to prove of serious consequence when eaten in excessive quan- 

 tities, especially if the stock is not accustomed to them. Two other 

 heads of stock had been in the pasture in question throughout the 

 spring months and no doubt pastured on the onions. Owing to the 



