30 
BULLETIN 125, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
corpuscles, and all the phenomena of a congestion or an acute cr subacute inflamma- 
tion. Occasional ruptures of the capillary vessels were noted, forming poollike capil- 
lary hemorrhages.- 
The distention of the capillaries in some instances had brought about cloudy swell- 
ing, or the early stage of degeneration of the renal epithelium, which in some instances 
had become desquamated. The supporting or interstitial tissue was not affected. 
In the lung the high capillary pressure is even more manifest than in the kidney, 
owing to the presence of a greater number of capillaries. The variations were from 
moderate fullness to overdistention. followed by inflammation in the more acute 
cases, resulting in localized areas of oedema where the serum had oozed out and filled 
one or more lobules of the lung. 
In spite of the fact that the fullness, congestion, and inflammation were more marked 
in the lung than in the kidneys, the degenerative changes and the desquamation of 
the pulmonary epithelium were less evident and not as frequent, owing to the greater 
resistance of the pulmonary cells. While no interstitial changes were present in 
the kidney, slight interstitial changes in the lungs were present in the peribronchial 
areas in some of the cases. In others, the interstitial changes were also present in 
the visceral pleura. 
In the liver the vascular changes were either entirely absent or so slight as not to 
deserve any mention, but the epithelial changes were quite marked, owing to the 
more delicate composition of the cytoplasm. The absence of vascular changes indi- 
cates that the elimination by this organ is but very slight and that the metabolic 
function is quite able to take care of any of the irritant products that may have reached 
the liver. 
In the intestine the vascular changes are likewise very slight. 
TOXIC AND LETHAL DOSE OF ZYGADENUS VENENOSUS FOR SHEEP. 
The very large number of feeding experiments with sheep at Grey- 
cliff made it possible to determine the toxic and lethal dose with con- 
siderable accuracy. Inasmuch as very little has been known in 
regard to the toxic dose of Zygadenus for sheep, the results of these 
cases are especially interesting. Table II summarizes the nonfatal 
cases, showing their number and the quantities of the plant neces- 
sary to produce illness. 
Table II. — Nonfatal cases of poisoning of sheep by Zygadenus venenosus at Greycliff. 
Mont., in 1912, 1913, andl9U. 
Feeding experiments. 
Number 
of cases. 
Quantity 
ised per 100 
animal. 
pounds of 
Maximum. 
Minimum. 
Average. 
Season of 1912: 
Drenched with leaves, stems, and fruit 
2 
1 
2 
5 
4 
8 
3 
1 
1 
G 
2 
2 
1 
3 
Pounds. 
1.324 
- Pounds. 
0.79 
Pounds. 
1.057 
.33 
Drenched with stems, fruit, and some leaves 
Drenched with fruit 
.771 
.264 
2.1 
.747 
.612 
.33 
.141 
.893 
.385 
.517 
.55 
-.228 
Season of 1913: 
1.607 
.5746 
.5746 
.389 
4.6 
.496 
7.188 
5.597 
.241 
1.728 
.495 
3.155 
2. 7513 
.4955 
5. 1715 
Fed on seed heads 
5.597 
Fed on seeds 
.092 
.1613 
