somewhat dangerous and more apt to run away or become unman- 

 ageable than horses which have not become affected with this disease. 



Lupines (Lupinus leucophyllus L. sericeus, L. Cyaneus). 

 These plants are commonly known by the names blue pea, blue bean, 

 and wild bean. They are coarse, silky haired perennial herbs, with 

 blue flowers arranged in conspicuous terminal racemes, which blos- 

 som in June and July, with long-stemmed leaves which are divided 

 into from 7 to 11 leaflets radiating from a common point. The fruit 

 is a hairy, several-seeded pod, and the seeds are small and somewhat 

 flattened. The three species above mentioned are very similar in 

 general appearance and can only be distinguished by the systematic 

 botanist. 



Lupines are generally distributed throughout Montana, and 

 should be readily distinguishable from all native plants on account 

 of the character of the leaves and flower clusters. As a rule these 

 plants do not occur in the flat river bottoms. They occur most 

 abundantly on the foothills and mountain ranges at moderate eleva- 

 tions. In many parts of the State lupines are so abundant in such 

 locations as to cover the ground completely over large areas. In such 

 cases the lupines may be cut for hay, and several thousand tons of 

 such hay are annually cut in Montana. 



During the season of 1900 the lupines began to bloom about May 

 20, and the first full pods were collected on June 5. Lupines are not 

 very extensively eaten by sheep during the spring and summer, 

 except when they are unusually hungry or are being driven from one 

 range to another. Lupines are more often eaten by sheep in summer 

 on the mountain sides and in the fall and early winter after early 

 frosts have opened the pods and the seeds have fallen out. Lupine 

 hay is greedily eaten by all kinds of stock during the winter, and 

 large quantities of this hay have been fed for the past fifteen or 

 twenty years. Lupine hay is cut by different stockmen at different 

 seasons. Where considerable dependence is put upon wild hay, the 

 time of haying depends upon the press of other business. It there- 

 fore happens that lupine hay is cut in different years at dates ranging 

 from the first of July to the middle of September. When cut during 

 the first half of July, the newly ripe pods, full of seeds, are secured 

 in the hay. When, however, the harvesting of lupine hay is post- 

 poned until September, the pods become ripe and split open, and 

 the majority of seeds fall out. A striking variation in the quan- 

 tity of pods containing seeds is noted during different years. During 

 seasons in which May and June are wet, the quantity of pods is 

 usually large. When, however, these months are dry, only a few 

 pods are found on each plant and a vast majority of the flowers fail 

 to be fertilized. 



The writer has frequently observed that sheep are especially 

 fond of the pods of various leguminous plants before they become 

 mature and while they are still in a succulent condition. In some 

 parts of Montana it was noticed that sheep fed extensively on the 

 pods of lupines and other legumes. 



