16 



BULLETIN 947, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



steer had prospered up to this time and weighed on August 4, 447 

 pounds. The feeding continued from August 5 until September 12. 

 The stems and leaves of the H. hoopesii used were ground up and 

 mixed with chopped hay in order to induce the animal to eat. Gen- 

 erally speaking, about 10 pounds of the plant were prepared and 

 mixed with 5 pounds of hay. The plan of the experiment was that 

 the animal should be induced to eat as large a quantity of the H. 

 hoopesii as possible. Both this and the other animal very much 

 preferred hay and frequently would pick out the hay, leaving a large 

 portion of the H. hoopesii. Under such circumstances more hay was 

 mixed with the H. hoopesii, so that a fairly good average daily ration 

 of hay was fed during this period. • 



Up to September 13 no symptoms were noted other than a certain 

 amount of inactivity in the animal. The curve of weight, figure 5, 



JS O JQ 



JUNE 



JULY 



0UG. 



SEPT. 



Fig. 5. — Weight curve of Cattle 827, fed aconite June 6 to 8 and July 28, and Helenium hoopesii August 



5 to September 12, 1919. 



shows that during this time the weight of the animal was maintained 

 fairly well. On the morning of September 13 it was noticed that 

 the animal must have been vomiting, as there were several patches 

 of the material in the pen. The steer at this time was frothing at 

 the mouth and regurgitating. A little later in the day he was seen 

 in the act of vomiting. On September 14 the pulse was found to 

 be very weak, so weak in fact that it was very difficult to count. 

 The animal was much depressed and showed marked weakness. 

 He was still vomiting at intervals. Figure 8 shows his attitude at 

 10.50 in the morning when he was regurgitating and frothing at the 

 mouth and occasionally belching sour-smelling gas from the stomach. 

 These conditions continued on the succeeding days, the vomiting 

 being more pronounced, the pulse continuing weak, and the general 

 weakness of the animal increasing. No more H. hoopesii had been 

 fed after September 12, and comparatively little hay had been eaten. 

 On the afternoon of September 17 the animal was turned into the 



