LOCOWEED DISEASE OF SHEEP 413 



3. The animals receiving half rations of alfalfa, and locoweed (Table 

 VII — ^A, Group ^T) throve better than those on half rations not eating 

 locoweed (Group III, Table IV). 



4. The gains in weight were directly proportional to the actual amount 

 of food and also to the amount of fresh forage obtained by the sheep. 



5. The animals which throve best were eating abundantly of locoweed, 

 in addition to having an abundance of alfalfa hay together with the rather 

 scanty natural forage of growing plants other than locoweed. 



6. Animals receiAang no salt (Group II, Table III and Group V, Table 

 VI) , gained more in weight than the animals receiving salt (Groups I and IV) . 

 The unsalted animals on locoweed alone (Group VIII, Table IX) gained 

 1 lb., while the salted animals on loco alone (Group VII) lost 28 lbs. It 

 is remarkable that the lambs on locoweed with no salt (Table IX, C) lost 

 more weight than the lambs on locoweed with salt, (Table VIII, C) while 

 with the yearlings on locoweed (Tables IX, A and Table VIII, A), and es- 

 peciallj' with the ewes (Tables IX, B and VIII, B), the unsalted were better 

 off. Although slightly heavier, the unsalted animals were not more resis- 

 tant to the sheep fly disease. 



7. In general, the larger and stronger animals did better in each corral 

 than the younger and weaker ones; (seen by comparing the average altera- 

 tion in weight of the ewes, yearlings and lambs, respectively, in Groups 

 VII and VIII, and remembering that the greatest relative increase should 

 be found in growing lambs). 



8. The tables show clearly that when enough nutritious food is pro- 

 vided, the locoweed (A. spicatus) certainly does not injure the health of 

 sheep, within the limits of time taken for this experiment. 



In addition to the inductions just drawn from the tables, the general 

 conclusions from the experiment may be stated in brief; 



1. Healthy sheep appear not to eat locoweed if they can easily obtain 

 a plentiful supply of green forage. 



2. Sheep can easily be made to eat locoweed by depriving them of other 

 food; by diminishing other food; or by diminishing other green forage 

 available, even though the animals be well fed on alfaKa. 



3. Animals which have started to eat locoweed, do not eat it to the ex- 

 clusion of other food, although they do appear to eat rather more of loco- 

 weed than of any other single plant. The lambs eat the leaves, the year- 

 lings and adult sheep eat the stalks and pods. Once in a while an adult 

 sheep will be found rubbing with his forefeet for the root of the weed, but 

 this was rare. The usual cause for sheep rubbing the nose in the ground is 

 the presence of sheep fly larvae in the nose. 



