242 POISONING, 



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 in different years at dates ranging from the 1st 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, how- 

 ever, the harvesting of lupine hay is postponed until September, the 

 pods become ripe and split open, and the majority of seeds fall out. A 

 striking variation in the quantity 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 fertilised. 



Dr. Wilcox has 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. 



Dr. Wilcox saw a flock of sheep which while being driven from one 

 range to another, in a hungry condition, 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 

 lot of 200 died. He afterwards saw many hundreds of fatal cases in 

 sheep and a number in horses, both from eating green lupines and 

 lupine hay. 



As an experiment two sheep were given each 150 medium-sized 

 lupine pods (L. leucopJiylhis) which were entirely full of ripe seeds. The 

 sheep ate the pods readily. Both sheep became frenzied within about 

 forty-five minutes after feeding upon the lupine pods, and died about one 

 hour later. The symptoms in these cases were the same as those 

 observed in poisoning under natural conditions. 



The symptoms of lupine poisoning are so well known in Europe 

 that chronic lupine poisoning has been given the name luplnosis. It is 

 characterised by loss of appetite, fever, dyspnoea, constipation, and yellow- 

 ness of the visible mucous membranes. Diarrhoea, sometimes of a san- 

 guinolent type, appears later. The urine becomes albuminous, tinted with 

 bile products or stained red by haemoglobin, and the head shows oedema. 

 Death occurs in a few days. In America the chronic form has not been 

 observed. In cases of lupine poisoning in Montana there was noted 

 acute cerebral congestion, accompanied with mental excitement. The 

 sheep rushed about in different directions, butting one another and other 

 objects. The first stage of frenzy was soon followed by a second stage, 

 characterised by pronounced irregularity of movement, spasms, and 

 falling fits. In the majority of cases death occurred in from one-half to 

 one and one-half hours. In extensive cases of lupine poisoning it was 



