WESTERN SNEEZEWEED AS A POISONOUS PLANT. 11 



FEEDING EXPERIMENTS WITH SHEEP. 



In the experimental feeding two distinct plans were followed — 

 corral feeding and forced feeding. 



Corral feeding. — In the early experience in corral feeding the ani- 

 mals were given nothing but sneeze weed, which was supplied in as 

 large a quantity as they would eat. Inasmuch as some of these 

 feedings were continued for a considerable period, in some cases 

 three weeks or more, the question naturally arose whether insuffi- 

 cient nutrition did not play a large part in the production of symp- 

 toms. This was later definitely proved to be not the case. It was 

 found, moreover, that the animals could be induced to eat only 

 a limited quantity of the plant, and that this quantity was fully 

 as great when hay was supplied with it. Some of the animals 

 were fed as long as they would eat the plant without regard to whether 

 it produced death, while in other cases the feeding was continued only 

 to the time when definite symptoms appeared. 



Forced feeding. — In the forced feedings the balling gun was used 

 and the material, ground up, was administered as rapidly as possible. 

 As the animals did not, in all cases, take the material readily, it was 

 sometimes necessary to repeat the feeding in order to give a toxic 

 dose. As shown by the table, also, the forced feedings were some- 

 times extended over a number of days to determine the effect of 

 definite repeated feedings given in this manner. 



Typical Case of Sheep 413. 



Sheep 413 may be taken as a type of the effect of a single forced 

 feeding of H. hoopesii. This animal was a wether, weighing at the 

 time of the experiment 54J pounds. The temperature shortly before 

 the experiment was 104.7° F., its pulse 114, and its respiration 60. 

 The high pulse and respiration are accounted for because this animal 

 had not been handled before and was somewhat excitable. On June 

 24, 1917, between 10.45 and 11.08 a. m., it was given, by the balling 

 gun, 2.383 pounds of H. Jioopesii leaves and stems. This material 

 had been finely ground. At 2.05 p. m. the temperature was 103.8, 

 the pulse 140, the respiration 60. June 25, 8 a. m., the temperature 

 was 102.5, pulse 144, the respiration 36. At this time the animal 

 appeared dejected and the femoral pulse could not be detected. At 

 2.30 p. m. the animal was very sick; the heart was beating irregularly 

 and no femoral pulse could be felt. At 3 p. m. the pulse was not 

 only rapid, being 156, but was irregular. At 4 p. m. the respirations 

 became irregular. The animal showed no inclination to move about. 

 This condition continued during the evening, the pulse rate remaining 

 very high. On June 26, 6.25 a. m., the animal was extremely weak, 

 while the rapid, irregular pulse and the irregularities of the respira- 



