DISEASES OF SHEEP 617 



The first case of poisoning from lupines which was brought to 

 the attention of the writer occurred in August, 1896. A band of 

 sheep while being driven from one range to another, in a hungry 

 conolition, was allowed to feed upon an area of lupines in a nearly 

 ripe condition. Within two hours the sheep manifested violent 

 symptoms of poisoning, and ultimately 100 out of the band of 200 

 died. In the winter of 1897 a band of 150 bucks, after having been 

 fed during the winter on cultivated hay, were given a liberal quan- 

 tity of lupine hay during the afternoon. About three hours after 

 feeding, symptoms of poisoning developed. The sheep were found 

 to be in a frenzied condition, and 90 of them died during the night. 



In August, 1898, a horse came under the observation of the 

 writer two hours after having eaten a liberal quantity of lupine hay. 

 The animal showed the usual symptoms of lupine poisoning, but 

 recovered after a period of about three days. In the winter of 1897, 

 three 2-year-old colts were fatally poisoned by feeding with lupine 

 hay. The animals died on the second day after feeding. 



During October, 1898, about 2,000 sheep died in various parts 

 of Montana as a result of eating lupine upon the range. During this 

 season the seeds, contrary to the usual occurrence, had been retained 

 until after heavy frosts. An examination of the stomach contents of 

 the poisoned sheep showed that in all cases lupine was almost the 

 only food material. .Stems, leaves, and pods of this plant were identi- 

 fied in the stomachs, and the abundance of pods and seeds was espe- 

 cially striking. During the winter of 1898-99 more than 3,600 sheep 

 died from eating lupine hay in Montana. This number of deaths 

 occurred among 7,000 sheep which were affected. The death rate 

 was therefore about 50 per cent. In these cases the lupine had been 

 cut at a much earlier date than usual, and at a period when the pods 

 were full of nearly ripe seeds. The most extensive losses of sneep 

 from feeding lupine hay occurred in the Judith Basin. At one ranch 

 on Sage Creek 2 tons of lupine hay was fed to a band of 2,000 sheep, 

 with the result that 700 died within a period of forty-eight hours. 

 In order to determine the cause of the poisoning, 200 pounds of the 

 lupine was fed to 50 sheep from another band. Some of these sheep 

 died before finishing their meal, and, altogether, 28 died within a 

 period of twenty-four hours. Similar experiences were had during 

 the same winter on a number of other sheep ranges. In the Deer 

 Lodge Valley an experienced sheep raiser, who had for several years 

 fed lupine hay, cut a portion of his hay during the first half of July. 

 Haying was then interrupted until September, when the rest of the 

 lupine was cut, and the stack which had been begun earlier in the 

 season w r as completed. During the following winter, when this 

 hay was fed, the lupine which was cut late in the season caused no 

 trouble. The first feed, however, which was given from the bottom 

 of the stack of lupine, which was cut in July, caused the death of 

 about 700 sheep. The disastrous result of allowing sheep which are 

 unacquainted with lupine to feed where this plant grows in abun- 

 dance is well illustrated by the case of a train load of sheep which 

 were unloaded near the Mullen Tunnel, at an altitude of 6,000 feet. 



