c 
6 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 
dew from D. brunonianum is said to poison stock, and D. vestitum is 
claimed to be poisonous to goats.¢ Similar reports come fromFrance.” 
Chesnut and Wilcox, in particular, have brought this subject to 
public attention, Wilcox’s field notes and post-mortem records being 
especially suggestive.¢ 
The main symptoms seen in the poisoning of sheep by Delphiniwm 
menziesii were a stiffness of the limbs, with awkward gait; associated 
with this were involuntary muscular twitchings and loss of muscular 
coordination. Convulsions with marked rapidity in the pulse rate 
occurred. The respiration became shallow, but finally rapid. Wilcox 
fed the chloroform and benzol extracts of the dried plant to sheep, 
causing typical symptoms. He also called attention to larkspur poi- 
soning in cattle.? This work was continued by Chesnut and Wilcox.? 
They fed and injected extracts of tall larkspur (Delphinium glau- 
cum) and of purple larkspur (2. bicolor); but although these ex- 
tracts produced some symptoms in rabbits and in sheep they failed to 
loll. 
Nelson pastured a sheep during May in an area in which Delphin- 
ium menziesu was growing. ‘This sheep ate all the Delphinium she 
could obtain herself, and in addition was fed 1,133.92 grams more, 
but showed no symptoms. <A second sheep was fed 1,111.3 grams 
of the fresh plant in five days, but showed no symptoms. During 
the experiment this animal was deprived of all feed save the 
Delphinium.’ Irish’ experimented by feeding the plants growing in 
May to steers, feeding the tops of 24 plants of D. trolliifolium to one 
and the roots to another without results. He also fed 30 plants of 
white larkspur without results. He fails to state, however, how long 
his feeding continued. Glover’s experiments” with rabbits were 
rather misleading, some dying, but most survived. Gerlach‘ fed 
PD). consolida to sheep without results. 
a Watts, G. Dictionary of Economic Products of India, vol. 3, pp. 64, 70. 1890. 
bDelaford, P. Traité sur la maladie de sang des bétes a laine, Paris, 1848, 
oie: 
e Wilcox, E. VY. Larkspur Poisoning of Sheep. Montana Agr. Expt. Sta. Bul. 
es HLSOT. 
d@d Wilcox, E. V. Poisonous Plants of Montana. Montana Agr. Expt. Sta. Bul. 
22, p. 45. 1899. 
e Chesnut, V. K., and Wilcox, E. V. Stock-Poisoning Plants of Montana. 
U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Botany, Bul. 26, p. 65. ~1901. 
f Nelson, S. B. Feeding Wild Plants to Sheep. Proe. See. Ann. Meeting 
Assoc. Expt. Sta. Veterinarians. 1898. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Animal Ind., 
Bul 22 peels 
9Trish, P. H. Plants Poisonous to Stock. Oregon Expt. Sta. Bul. 3, p. 25. 
1889. : 
h Glover, G. H. Larkspur and Other Poisonous Plants. Colorado Agr. Expt. 
sta: ~Bul. 113, \p..i¢. “1906: 
‘Dammann, C. Gesundheitspflege, 1886, p. 841. 
ta 
