OAK-LEAF POISONING OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. ie 
EXPERIMENTAL FEEDING OF SHEEP IN 1915. 
An attempt was made to feed four sheep, but three refused to eat 
the oak. The experiment was continued with one, No. 327, for 30 
days. This one received an average of 2 pounds daily per hundred- 
weight of animal. The oak was fed with chopped hay one day at the 
beginning of the experiment, but with this exception it received oak 
leaves exclusively. Its weight fell from 74.5 pounds to 66.5 pounds, 
but no other bad effect was noted. 
EXPERIMENTAL FEEDING OF CATTLE IN 1916. 
Two experiments on the feeding of buds and twigs were conducted 
with cattle Nos. 702 and 712. No. 702 received buds and twigs from 
June 7 to June 16, and small leaves from June 17 to June 19. No. 712 
received buds and twigs from May 31 to June 16 and small leaves 
from June 17 toJune 19. Both animals were treated in the same way, 
* the only difference being that No. 712 was fed for a longer time. 
During the experiment they were kept in the corrals and were fed 
exclusively upon the oak, except that on 12 days each was given 
3 pounds of alfalfa hay daily. 
Careful clinical observations were made, the temperature and pulse 
being taken at stated times three or four times daily, and they were 
weighed frequently. The temperature and pulse showed no devia- 
tions from what might be expected in normal animals and followed a 
strikingly regular rhythm from day to day. The increase in weight 
was continuous. No. 702 weighed at the beginning of the experiment 
448 pounds, and at the end 502 pounds. No. 712 during the same 
time, from June 7 to June 19, increased from 432 pounds to 486 
pounds. Reduced to percentages of the original weight, No. 702 
gained 12 per cent and No. 712, 12.5 per cent. 
It is interesting to compare these gains with those of 23 other 
animals which were kept on pasture during the same period and which 
were weighed June 7 and June 22, thus covering nearly the same time 
as Nos. 702 and 712. The gain in these animals varied from 10.68 
per cent to 25 per cent. One other animal that was in pasture was 
weighed June 7 and June 19 and had lost 8.4 per cent. The average 
gain of the 24 animals in pasture was 15.64 per cent. While the 
experiment animals Nos. 702 and 712 gained as much as the minimum 
of those on pasture, they did not come up to the average and it is 
probably fair to presume that they would have done better in pasture, 
yet this is by no means certain, as only two animals are concerned 
and it is possible that they would have fallen into the number of 
those with comparatively small gains. Moreover, this deflection 
from the average is not enough ta indicate any serious effect on the 
cattle feeding upon oak. Figures 5 and 6 show the weight curves of 
Nos. 702 and 712. Both animals were constipated and once bloody 
feces were noticed in No. 702. No other symptoms were noted. 
