WESTERN SNEEZE WEED AS A POISONOUS PLANT. 15 
on there were, every day, evidences of vomiting, and at times there 
was marked regurgitation and belching of gas and rumbling of the 
intestines. On July 1 it was noted that both pulse and respiration 
were very irregular. These symptoms continued with little change 
until July 7. On this day, in addition to vomiting, the animal was 
troubled with coughing; doubtless the coughing was caused by the 
irritation produced by some of the stomach contents getting into the 
larynx. There was no marked change after this except that the 
symptoms became gradually more marked. The irregularity and 
weakness of the pulse were more apparent and vomiting was more 
frequent, while the appetite gradually grew less, the animal not even 
caring to eat hay. On the morning of July 23 the sheep was found 
dead, having died some time during the night. 
As there might be a question whether lack of sufficient food might 
not be the cause of sickness and death in cases like this, it should 
be stated that it was clearly proved by checking up in other cases 
that the weakness was not due to lack of food, but was distinctly 
due to the poisonous effects of the plant. In the autopsy which 
followed the death of the animal the only abnormal feature noted 
was some congestion in the fourth stomach, duodenum, jejunum, 
ileum, cecum, and rectum. 
FEEDING EXPERIMENTS WITH CATTLE. 
On the Utah ranges where the spewing sickness affects sheep 
there are no accounts of the poisoning of cattle by H. hoopesii. In 
following the cattle upon the range where it has been so closely 
grazed that very little remains except H. Jtoopesii, no evidence has 
been obtained of cattle grazing upon this plant. Certain reports, 
however, from Colorado ranges have led to the belief in the possi- 
bility of cattle being poisoned by H. Jioopesii. Accordingly it 
seemed important to prove conclusively whether the plant would 
or would not affect cattle. Two head of cattle were treated in 1919 
and both became sick as a result of the feeding, with typical symp- 
toms resembling those produced in sheep. The following experiment 
with Cattle 827 may be considered as typical of the possible effect 
of the plant. 
Case of Cattle 827. 
Cattle 827 was a yearling steer received at the station on June 1, 
1919, weighing at that time 340 pounds. From June 6 to 8, and on 
July 28, an attempt was made to have it eat aconite. The aconite 
produced no effect, although the animal as shown by the curve, 
figure 5, lost weight while in the corrals. Except for this experiment 
with aconite, the animal remained in the pasture until the experi- 
mental feeding of H. hoopesii was commenced, on August 5. The 
