18 



In late summer and early fall the narrow-leaved milkweed has a 



large number of seeds and pods. 

 In previous feeding tests the pods 

 and seeds of the showy milkweed 

 were found to be the most poison- 

 ous part of the plant ; so it was 

 thought that this might also be 

 true of the narrow-leaved milk- 

 weed. Two feedings of seeds were 

 made, one of 2 ounces and the other 

 of 5 ounces. Neither animal was 

 poisoned. The quantity of seed 

 which we fed in either test repre- 

 sents the seed production from a 

 large number of plants, a number 

 in excess of what it is believed any 

 animal would be able to get within 

 a reasonable length of time. Con- 

 sequently it seems that the danger of poisoning from these seeds is very 

 slight and that such poisoning is highly improbable. 



Figure 8 The First Symptoms 

 of Poisoning by Narrow-Leaved 

 Milkweed. 



TABLE V 



The Narrow-Leaved Milkweed Green Pods Fed to Sheep 



Five feedings of green pods were made, using amounts of from one- 

 half to 3i| pounds. None of these feedings caused poisoning with the 

 exception of one 2J-pound feeding. These tests indicate that the pods 

 are less poisonous than the leaves and stems, and that the danger of 

 loss is smaller when the -plant is full of pods. 



TABLE VI 



The Narrow-Leaved Milkweed The Dried Plant Fed on Successive 

 Days to Sheep 



Dry material collected September 6. Sheep never very sick. 



59 



93 



10-27-19 

 10-28-19 

 10-29-19 

 10-31-19 



11:10 a.m. 

 8:30 a.m. 

 11:00 a. m. 

 10:30 a. m. 



10-31-2:00 p.m. 



-.__. j Negative 



! Negative 



I Negative 



11- 2 7:30 a. m. I .Recovery 



Dry material collected September 6. Sheep only slightly sick. 



