174 GRASSES OF IOWA. 



reported. It would seem, then, reasonably established that 

 this plant possesses narcotic or sedative properties, affecting 

 principally horses, but also cattle and probably other animals; 

 that animals are not fond of it, but eat of itinadverten lyor 

 wht-n undtr stress of hunger; that cases of poisoning occur 

 especially in the spring, when the radicle and lower blades 

 first come up, and that the active principle resides in these 

 blades, and perhaps only during that season. " 



The old world species Stipa inebrians is said to affect ani- 

 mals like S. robusta referred to by Dr. Havard. 



Millets. — Several millets, and especially K(jda millet {Paspa- 

 lumscrobic^(latum), a,re known to be poisonous and injurious. 

 According to Grant, several well-known cases of poisi ning 

 resulted from the consumption of this grass largely used because 

 of the scarcity of food grains. He suggests that it is d le to a 

 poisonous volatile alkaloid. There have be^ n numerous com- 

 plaints, from time to timp, from ihe injurious effects of millet 

 Setaria italica when fed to horses and cattle. 



Dr. Hinebauch* states in regard to this trouble that in the 

 winter of 1891 and 1892 a disease commonly called millet dis- 

 ease was prevalent to a considerable extent in North Dakota. 

 That this disease was at ended by a death rate of 7 to 10 per 

 cent. It received the name of millet disease from ^he fact that 

 from 95 to 98 p^^r cent of the animals that were affected had 

 been fed on millet. He says: " When millet is fed in consid- 

 erable quantities it stimulates the kidneys to increased action. 

 The urine is light colored and the bladder evacuated every two 

 or three hours, large quantities of water b ing passed at each 

 time. At the time the first symptoms of lameness were noticed, 

 the kidneys had almost ceased to act." At d then he g es on 

 to say: "When the cause was kept up a sufficient leng h of 

 time for the reac ion to set in, the mater al which wo'ijd under 

 normal conditions be secreted by the kidneys is allowed to 

 remain in the system and produce d* leterioua effects." Appar- 

 eLtly the conditi ^n of the millet had liitle to do with this 

 action. In a later buUetinf on th-* sa ue s bject Dr. Hinebauch 

 rep trts a more extended investigation, giving considerable 

 experimental data as w II as urinary analyses. The post mi r- 

 tem examinations revealed s me i teres log facts. The carti- 

 lages on the ends of the long bones show deep furrows run- 



♦Rheumailsm In horses. Bull. Gov. Agrl. Exp. Sta.. N. Dik. 7: 1892. 

 tFeeding of millet to horses. Bull. Gov. Agrl. Exp. Sta. N. Dakota. 26: 1896. 



