STOCK-POISONING PLANTS OF THE RANGE. 15 



TREATMENT FOR ZYGADENUS POISONING. 



There are no medicinal remedies which can be used effectively for 

 Zygadenus poisoning. The important thing is to avoid the possi- 

 bility of the sheep eating any large quantity of the plant. Unfor- 

 tunately, the plant is quite toxic, so that comparatively small quan- 

 tities may produce harm. 



LUPINES. 



The lupines are among the most conspicuous of the flowering 

 plants upon mountain ranges. They are scattered in a very large 

 number of species practically over all the grazing regions. They are 

 known under a great variety of common names, among which are 

 "blue pea" and "wild bean." 



The picture of Lwpinus sericeus, Plate XVII, will serve for the 

 identification of any of the lupines. The form of the leaf and the 

 color of the flower, ordinarily shades of purple or blue, readily dis- 

 tinguish this plant from others growing in the same [neighborhood. 

 The seeds are especially poisonous, and most cases of poisoning result 

 from eating the pods containing seeds. The pods alone, however, 

 may poison, and sometimes sheep are poisoned by the leaves, or by 

 the leaves in combination with the seed pods. 



The losses from lupine poisoning are mostly of sheep, although 

 some horses are poisoned. It is probable that the lupines are the 

 principal cause of sheep losses in the late summer and fall months. 

 It is not by any means to be understood that sheep are always poi- 

 soned when they come upon a patch of lupine, for bands of sheep 

 may feed through lupine for a whole season without any harm. 

 When, however, a hungry band comes upon a patch of lupine at the 

 time when the pods are filled with seeds, poisoning frequently occurs. 

 Cases of poisoning sometimes happen when sheep are taken from the 

 cars and allowed to graze freely upon lupine. Many cases of poi- 

 soning have occurred when the sheep are brought down from the 

 mountains in the fall. If during that passage the band is overtaken 

 by a snowstorm, sometimes it will feed freely upon the lupine pods 

 which remain above the snow, and heavy losses may occur. It is 

 not unusual for several hundred out of a band to be killed by lupine 

 poisoning. These losses are not confined to any one State, but occur 

 in practically all the Western States where sheep are grazed upon 

 the range. 



SYMPTOMS OF LUPINE POISONING. 



The symptoms of lupine poisoning resemble in many respects those- 

 produced by some other poisonous plants. There is frothing at the 

 mouth, but in addition the animals run about in a frenzy, butting 

 against any opposing object in a way which seems to be character- 

 istic of this disease. " - ; 



